Rich J.P. Brought Before Police Court

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 361, 23 May 1928, Page 1

Rich J.P. Brought Before Police Court

UNEXPECTED ARREST maintenance of wife from Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, Tuesday. Unusual circumstarioes brought an elderly, well-dressed, and deborair-looking man into the Hamilton Police Court this morning. Described by his counsel, Mr. J. F. Strang, as a justice* of the peace and wealthy, he was charged with attempting to leave New Zealand without providing sufficient maintenance for his wife. Senicr-Sergeant Sweeney said the man had been arrested an warrant at pahiatua, and the police asked for a remand to allow him to be charged there. Mr. Strang commented upon what he described as the extraordinary procedure adopted In arresting his client. Defendant, he explained, was separated from his wife, and a legal agreement was force tinder which he paid her £4 10s a week, and an unmarried daughter £2 a week. He had remitted these sums with unfailing regularity ever since the agreement was made. WEALTHY J.P. Defendant, added counsel, was a man of very good standing, was a justice of the peace, and was wealthy. He held two good first mortgages, one for £4,000 and the other for £3,800 in the Manawatu district; he also owned two unencumbered farms in Manawatu, and a shop, unencumbered, in Dannevirke. He was quite at a loss to understand the present extraordinary proceedings against him and he felt his position very much. His family consisted of a wife, two aclult daughters, one of whom was married, and a married son. The only thing he could think of as giving rise to the present proceedings was the fact that about 12 months ago he bought a farm in the Waikato, on which there was a mortgage of £9,000. Recently he traded this property for an unencumbered farm at Matamata. Mr. Strang said that when he interviewed the senior-sergeant on the matter, the latter said the suggestion was that defendant intended to leave New Zealand. Counsel thought the circumstances would doubtless convince his Worship that the suspicions held against defendant were entirely groundless, and as defendant felt his position very acutely, counsel asked the Bench to supress defendant’s name until thecircumstances were investigated. He had a distinct objection to going bp.ck to Pahiatua. DAUGHTER BLAMED Mr. Strang thought the root of the present proceedings was the married daughter, whom defendant turned from home many years ago and who had shown him the greatest malevolence ever since. The magistrate, Mr. 'F. W. Platts, S.M., said he thought it necessary to remand the case to Pahiatua. The court must presume there was good reason for issuing the warrant. He had only heard one side of the case. Meanwhile he would ask the Press to suppress the name.