MAGISTRATE’S COURT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10292, 29 May 1919, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Mr F. V. Frazer. -S.M:,' presided over yesterday’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court.

A LAST CHANCE, GIVEN

James Brown, a iprohihited ■ person who had broken his prohibition -ordbr on' three occasions, was convicted and fined ,£2, in default to' be imprisoned -for- seven days. ' The magistrate informed the accused that he' was qualifying' for' a term on Roto Roa Island, and if ho came, before the court again■ he would-be feat there. ' : 1 : ■ THEFT' OF AX OVERCOAT. ’ Michael Francis McHugh, fdn, whom Mr H.< F. O’Leary appeared, pleaded guilty to stealing an overcoat valued a'f £5 the, property of Peter Hadley, Chief-Detective, Boddam said that ,accuscdj who is 21 years of age, was ini- - , ployed as a taxi-driver at .'the , A.B.C; Garage. On May ?4th he' drove a Mr Hadley', who was staying at the 'Midland' Hotel, to the Thorndon Railway,.Station.' Mr Hadley was going away by'the Auck* land train, and amongst. hia luggage, in thei taxi were a rug 'and hn ' overcoat. The accused failed to take the .rug and overcoat ‘on to the station. The' ownerdiscovered his loss before the traingulled out, and ran to find the taxi-driver; but he was not to be found. He then nng up ; the Midland 'Hotel and an employee went down to the A.B.C. Garage, where he obtained the rug from the,,cierk. 'i he defendant was present, but did not make any mention of the missing overcoat. Later- Detective-Sergeant Andrews . interviewed McHugh, who said at.first that he found the , overcoat in his taxi eomc days previously, but later admitted, that he had not driven Mr Hadley., prior to Saturday, May '2lth. : He .brought- the overcoat to the police station, . and in a pocket was a handkerchief marked ■’P. Hadley.”- McHugh had been /before - the court before bn a charge of. theft., On that occasion he was convicted'and ordered to come up for sentence when'called upon. , Mr O’Leary said it was-Hard to say much in favour of a man who was not a first offender. The accused, since his first conviction, had enlisted voluntarily and had served for twelve months- at the front, when he was wounded.;. He v-as only twenty -years of age -when be was. previously before the court;'and; counsel contended that his service ,as a soldier should be sufficient to wipe louti his past conduct. The defendant would Jose his employment; and he had an-aged mother dependent upon him. . . The magistrate said he’did not like sending a young man to. prison, but tie public had,-to be 'protected."He was always .willing to let a good military record wipe put. a bad police record, and would, on that account, treat McHugh-as a-first offender., He would be .convicted end fined £5.;- ■■ ■ ; - ■ ■ ■ , 'BROACHED CARGO. Patricir;Lookett, 39 years of age, was charged with stealing nine dozen bandkerchiefs. valued at £l, the property ol the , New. Zealand Shipping Company. He was defended by-Mr. H. F. O’Leary. Acting-Suh-Inspecter Emerson said that Constable V. J.. Grosgrave saw the accused on May lSth coming, off the steamer Remuera about 1.30 o’clock in the afternoon.' The" cohstable -noticed -that Ixiokett appeared ;to be bulky"about- tbe body, and he asked huriwhat be had on him; The, accused replied ''nothing," so the constable took him ;to a .Customs office; 1 where LooketL produced four dozen handkerchiefs from inside his shirt. On being searched" fiye’ 1 ,, ‘ dozen-. handkerchiefs were found' wound' round 'hi8 T hips. On being questioned . the defendant said he purchased .'.the - - handkerchiefs - - from-, a sailor or a fireman on - the Remuera, tut would not he able to recognise him again. Upon inquiries being made it,-was found that Lookett was employed .working,.cargo in’ No. 4 hold’ of the Remuera, hut x.b case from which the articles oould have been taken was found broken. . Robert Hr win, chief stevedore'to the New Zealand Shipping Company,,, eaid there were a number of cases of drapery in Ng. 4 hold of the Remuera, some of which had, been tampered with, hut he was unable to say at what port. - Llewelyn Jones, claims clerk to the company, stated that; the ship was at Dunedin' discharging cargo,, bnt so far no claims had been received for the loss of handkerchiefs.

The magistrate said that the- defendant had stolen the goods,' or it was. a case ofrreceiving stolen property. ■ Mr O'Leary said .the accused had been before the court before, but it was rome years ago. He had married and probably it had a good effect. The .defendant's wife was In a poor state of health, and counsel ashed the court to take that into consideration when imposing a penally. _ • ' ; . The magistrate said that the. accused had not’been-playing the game towards his mates. There were'a large number of men employed on the waterfront, and -When thefts were committed by one man the whole of the men came under suspicion. The public were of the opinion that watersiders as a body were dishonest, but the court did not believe that'to be the case. ' . • • ' The accused was convicted and sentenced to a month’s imprisonment.