HELPED SLY-GROG SELLER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 895, 12 February 1930, Page 13

HELPED SLY-GROG SELLER

TOBACCONIST FINED

LIQUOR STORED FOR FRIEND

I>rom Our Oicn Correspondent. HAMILTON, Today.

Unable to reconcile contrary statements. Mr. 'VVyvern Wilson. S.M., convicted Harry Asher, tobacconist, London Street, Hamilton, and fined him . and costs today for aiding and abetting Leslie George Brown to sell liquor without a licence. The case was the sequel to a police raid on December 19 on a confectionery shop occupied by Brown in Victoria , treet. The police found no liquor, “Jy on Januar >' 15 Brown was fined 4.10 on each of three charges of slyerog selling.

Defendant admitted he had been storing liquor for Brown and issuing it to customers, who presented written instructions from Brown. Senior-Sergeant Sweeney said that after Brown was raided defendant continued to -store liquor. In a statement, defendant said after Brown had been convicted for sly-grog selling he asked him to take the liquor away, but Brown asked for the liquor to be left for a few days longer. Defendant said that at no time had he accepted money for liquor. For the defendant, Mr. F. A. de la Mare said there was no denial of the tacts. Asher was perfectly frank with the police.

Ha made no money out of storing and merely did it as a friendly act for -brown, As soon as defendant suspected Blown was sly-grog selling, he asked him to remove the liquor, which was done a couple of days later. Ihe magistrate, in entering a conviction, held that defendant’s evidence on oath was contradictory to some of the statements made to the police. He also believed the defendant knew the liquor was being sold.