MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 298, 9 May 1913, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

PECULIAR THEFT CASE. A charge of theft involving a genuine case of hardship was heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M. The accused was a carpenter named Brodie, who was arrainged on a eliarge of having stolen timber belonging to the Borough Council. It transpired that Brodie had taken some planks (which were half rotten) and which were lying under the Powderham Street culvert and sawn them up for firewood. lit the light of this the Magistrate merely recorded a conviction, and ordered accused to pay the value of the timber (255) within six months. The Court was about to adjourn when a woman approached the Bench with a story which sufficed to • exonerate the accused from all criminal intent. The woman was a widow in poor circumstances, with a family of young children to keep, and one "cdld night had asked Brodie, who was a friend of her people, to get some wood to warm the house. He had obtained some,half rotten boards from the bridge near by and had cut them up for her. The Magistrate, after hearing this tale, and witnesses having testified to the good character of the accused, decided to reverse his decision, and to adjourn the case for a week. DEFAULTING TERRITORIALS. Several Territorial cases were brought on at the instance of Sergt.-Major 0. A. Bond. A. J. L. May and Wilfred H. Loveridge both pleaded guilty to having failed to attend certain parades. May was fined 5s without costs, while Loveridge, in asking for leniency, said that lie had received no notice of the. parade in question, and further that an officer had told him that he was not obliged to travel over six miles to a parade. • Sergeant-Major Bond said accused had received several notices to attend parades and had not attended any. Tt was, of course, possible that he hud not ■ received this particular notice. So far as travelling six miles was concerned, the parade was held at Oakum, which was only two miles from his home. The defendant was mulcted in a fine of 5s and costs. Edgar Loveridge was charged with a similar offence at Oakum, and was fined 5s and costs 7s.