MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1916, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

SIX EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGES. MARRIED MAN SENT TO GAOL. A sitting of the Magistrate's Court was held yesterday before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M. A young and well-dressed man, Charles A. Harris, pleaded guilty to six charges of embezzlement. He was in the employ of W. Howe and Co. us a cartel', and in the course of his duties lie collected accounts, and the charges set out six different amounts, totalling £"> Ss Sd, which he had received on behalf of his employers and had failed to account for. Sub-Inspector Fouliy said the prisoner was now on. probation, having been admitted to eighteen months' probation by the Supreme Court. His appearance, in the Supreme Court was due to embezzlement, but the amount concerned —some £3G —had been paid back. The amounts embezzled in the present case had also been repaid. The accused said lie was a married man with two children. His wages wore . £2 3s a week, and payments on debts which he had to make left him with only £1 14s a week to keep his family on. He took the money because he wanted it, but he did not mean to rob his employers. The Magistrate said he could not overlook the fact that the accused had committed these offences while on probation, and he imposed a sentence of 14 days' imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently. . A POLICE CASE FAILS. Sub-Inspector Fouliy prosecuted Hoy Jury, Leslie Jury, Fred. Hawke and A. N.(Morey on a charge of unlawfully accompanying a prohibited person into licensed premises. Mr. A. 11. Johnstone, who appeared for the accuseii, admitted tlie facts, but he called each accused, who swore he did not know the person concerned was prohibited. The .Magistrate dismissed the information. BY-LAW CASES. For riding a bicycle at night without a light Deris Haworth was fined 10s and costs 7s, and a similar penalty was inflicted on H. Briglitwell for riding a motor-cycle at night without a light. For allowing horses to wander in a public place, Norman Berridge and William E. Bendall were each fined 5s and costs 7s. Philip Wright was charged with carrying a passenger on a motor-cycle otherwise than on a side-car. Mr. D. Hutclien appeared for defendant, and eaid that Wright was a resident of Stratford and was not aware of a by-law in Xew Plymouth preventing this. The by-law-was not a common one. A conviction was entered, and the defendant was ordered to pay 7s costs.