A PECULIAR POINT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9160, 6 August 1908, Page 5

A PECULIAR POINT.

BY TELEOKAI-H— PRESS ASSOCIATION. ELTHAM, August 5. A peculiar point cropped up at the Magistrate's Court to-day, when Levis Slirrell was charged wi'n n aking application for work in the Railway Department and using the name and the birth certificate of his older brother, *nd with forgine a school certificate. During evidence it was stated by the master of the Eltham School that the boy was 16 years of age last July, since the offence was committed. The police had been acting on the assumption that he was 19, and counsel (Mr 0. P Wake) had taken the case at short notice, and had not had time to enquire as to whether the lad should come under the Juvenile Offenders Act Sergeant Haddrell (police) pointed out that he had not come before the court till ho was over 16, and he left it to the Magistrate whethrr the age-limit in the Juvenile Offenders Act referred to the time at which the offence was committed or to the time of trial. The magistrate (Mr A. Turnbull, S.M.) said that if .the boy was a juvenile offender mischief had already been done owing to the case being heard in open court. He adiiurned the hearing to allow counsel to look up authorities in support of his contention that the lai' is n juvenile offender. When the Court resumed Mr Turnbull, S.M., said that as a Magistrate could not try a forgery case he could not treat the accused as a juvenile offender. Accused pleaded guilty, and v/as committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.