BOOKMAKING CASES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 298, 11 August 1932, Page 5

BOOKMAKING CASES

a rotorua raid J. S. MASKERY AND HORI * MAU BEFORE COURT ILEAVY FINE INFLICTED Breaches of the Gaming Act led to the appearance of three Rotorua residents before Mr. S. L. Paterson S.M., yesterday, the court being crowded to the doors. Hori Mau was fined £100 for wilj fully permitting his premises to be j used as a common gaming fiouse. I John Stephen Maskery was fined £10 for carrying on the business of a bookmaker. Michael John Hefferen wa,s fined £20 for hook making, and £5 for laying tote odds. . A further charge against Maskery of running a gaming house was dismissed, and * a charge against Hori Mau of assisting in running it was withdrawn. v " ~ On another charge, that of abetting the carrying on of the business of bookmaking, Hori Mau pleaded not guilty and elected to be tried by a jury. A charge against Hefferen, of running a gaming house, was dismissed, In the hearing of the charge against Hori Mau, Maskery, who was called by the police, was ordered by the bench to be treated as a hostile witness, the Magistrate also warning hira of the consequences of perjury, The charges mainly arose out of the placing of bets on the Great Northern Steeples and King George Handicap at Ellerslie on June 4 and on events at Wanganui earlier in the year. Maskery Cojavicted Constable R. T. Chaytor, of Hamilton first gave evidence of having been detailed to obtain evidence against bookmakers in Rotorua, and said tha.t on June 4 he had gone to Moore's buildings where Mau, when asked where a bet could be placed, told him 1 to go to room 4. Inside this room there was another room opening out in which Maskery was seated at a table. A double chart on the Great Northern Steeples and King George Handieap hung on the wall and several men were there talking racing. Witness placed a bet of 10s on Master Lu i-n the Steeples. Later in the day, witness again went up to the room, where he saw a man take a double at 60 to 1 handing over £1, but he could not remember the names of the hot'ses. V/itness then took 5s worth of Make Up-Refresher at 50 to 1, and got a ticket for it. Hori Mau was there and witness asked him if he won how he would be paid, to which Hori Mau replied: "If it's under £10, come back to-night, but if it's more than that you will get the rest on Monday morning." Another man then took a double, Landmark-Silvermine at 60's. When ho made his third visit at 7.55 that vsight, said witness, he was greetg.d by one of the inmates with "Your horse Refresher did no good." Witness replied that he would have "another pop" another day, Mau saying that he could have another bet on the Wednesday when the acceptances would be out. Mr. Roe (for Maskery) : Did you back any winners? No. It didn't matter to me whether they won or not. Books Found Detective-Sergeant Thompson, of Hamilton, detailed what he had found when he, in company with Constable Brown, raided the room on July 16. He saw Maskery in the billiard room and also accused. On Maskery was found £8, a commission boolc, and a betting hook, showing that 15 bets had been laid on the V-/ ellington races that day. Another book showed that 26 bets had been taken, and a slip of paper which read "5s Pahu first start, all up Ida Merling," was taken to the station. Maskery had admitted every thing and said that he was employed by Mau at a wage of £3 per week to do his betting for him. Accused was arrested and bailed out, and three-quarters of an hour after he had been released, he camealong to the station asking if " he could have a look at his betting books to see to whom be would have to pay out. He had told witness that " "Hori Mau would pay his fine." Cross-examined, witness said that Maskery had been quite frank. "The frankest bookmaker I have ever met," he added. The whole of the betting was small and Maskery had told him that it had been realised that bets had been made with a constable and that was the reason that room 4 had - been cleared out. Maskery was fined £10 for bookmaking after Mr. Roe had submitted that there was no evidence that a gaming house was run. Fined £100 for Breach The heaviest fine of the day was when Hori Mau was faced with a summary charge of permitting his premises to be used as a gaming house. Mr. M. II. Hampson, who appeared for him, frequently objected to the tendering of evidence, and Maskery, who had been called by the police refused to answer question after auestion on the grounds that he might incriminate himself. Mr. Hampson informed the bench that this was on his advice. Evidence that Hori Mau was present when he visited Maskery's room, was given by Constable Chaytor on the lines of the previous cases. Maskery first refused to answer ■ ouestions, and later said that the statement he had given the police ; when he was arrested, was not true and had been given when he "was. a ; hit rattled." He was then takeii over the statement categorically denying that he was paid by Mau or ' . that Mau was a frequent visitor to : the room. The bench directed the police to , treat witness as hostile. He was then warned by the bench .of .the consequences of perjury and admitted that his statements were cor-' rcct. : Mau was convicted and fined £100, the bench saying in alluding to his previous conviction, that on the i last occasion he had been before the court accused had been promised a term of imprisonment, but circumstances were slightly different jn this case and a "fine would meet the case.