POLICE COURT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5461, 14 August 1929, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

MONDAY’S SITTING AT PAEROA. CASES DEALT WITH. At the Paeroa Police Court on Monday, before Mr F. W. Platts, S.M., the following cases were heard :— Cycling Without Lights. L. McNeil and M. Tressider were charged with riding without lights at night in the Borough of Paeroa. Mr C. N. O’Neill, appearing for the Borough Council, said that while there was nothing outstanding in either case, the practice was far too frequent. Both accused were fined 5s and £1 0s 6d costs each. Driving without License. G. W. Hannam, Hikutaia, who appeared in person, was charged with driving an unregistered motor vehicle, and at the same time driving it while not holding a motor driver’s license. Accused pleaded guilty to the first charge. Police evidence was to the effect that accused removed the number plates from a van he possessed and placed then: on the car. He had been warned previously for not having the van registered, ar.d did not do so until some time after. Accused when stopped had said he was going to town to try and sell the car. Hannan*, giving evidence, maintained that he had changed the number plates from van to car in order to drive, the car’ to town to try and sell it, as he could not afford to keep it. As a matter of fact, the car was not his. All he was trying to do was to dispose of the machine. The license was perhaps negligence on his part. He had expected to be in Thames to get it personally, but did not go, and applied for it by letter. On the day in question it had not arrived. On the first charge accused was fined 10s, and on the second 30s, with 22s costs, being allowed a month to find the money. Unreturned Uniform. W. T. Payne, Taumarunui, who did not appear - , was charged with, when liable under the Military Service Act, failing to notify his change of address from Paeroa, and refusing to deliver on demand clothing on issue from the Defence Department valued at £3 5s 7d. Staff Sergeant A. Steward, C., for the Defence Department, said that Payne, a trainee, was warned in May to return the uniform. He disappeared after being warned a sec ond time, and it was not until three days previously that he returned part of his uniform. Payne was convicted and fined £1 and 10s costs on the first charge, and convicted and fined 10s with 10s costs on the second, and was ordered to make restitution of £1 9s 2d for uniform still unreturned. .Procuring Liquor After Hours. Keremeneta (known as Kelley), appeared in person to answer a charge of procuring liquor from licensed premises after hours, and aiding and abetting in the supply of liquor for consumption off the premises Police evidence showed that accused was stopped oh a Sunday morning, after being twice called upon to do so, and was asked what he had ir. a sugar bag which aroused witness’ suspicion. Witness had observed accused starting off from the rear of an hotel. Questioned, accused asked to be let off, and said he had got the liquor—-beer---from the proprietor of the hotel. The proprietor, questioned denied all knowledge of the affair. Accused then said a barman had supplied him with it; the later interrogated also denied all knowledge of it. Accused, who stated that he could not talk English, told the Court through an interpreter that he had purchased the beer on the Saturday, and being unable to call for it then, had arranged for it to be called for. He* was collecting it on the Sunday morning when stopped. Accused admitted he was fond of imbibing, and admitted being before the Court last year for a breach of his prohibition order then in force.

Accused was fined £1 on the first charge, to which he. had pleaded guilty, and £4 on the second, together witli 10s costs and 10s for translation and interpreter.