MAGISTERIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2213, 10 June 1908, Page 1

MAGISTERIAL.

TUESDAY, JUNE 9. (Before Messrs W. Lissant" Clavton and F. IV. ltiac-h, J.’s P.) DRUNKENNESS.. A first offender was convicted and fined 5s with 2s costs in default of immediate payment 24 hours’ imprisonment. THEFT FROM AN HOTEL. Two young men named Robert Foote and Geo. Pennel were charged with, on the evening of June Bth, they did commit the theft of £3 19s the property of Frederick Hail. In answer to the usual question the accused elected to be dealt with summarily. Detective Rawle conducted the prosecution and accused wero ropres'entcd by Mr E. H. Miami. Detective Rawle outlined the facts of the cage and stated that the accused -lnd 1 entered the Masonic .Hotel on the previous night. They called for drinks, and in payment teiider- —. i/iiab inoirrviiu sonfcrmiTg went wrong with the lights, and the accused took the opportunity of departing, taking with them both cheque and change. Outside tho hotel a division. of the money was made, accused Pennell receiving £1 19s. Wince the arrest of the accused the money had been recovered.

11l entering a plea of guilty Mr Mann for tho defendants said .that although. ho had no real defence to offer, i.t was clearly a case of the accused having foolishly yielded to sudden temptation. Both the accused were men who had hitherto borne good characters. He would ask the Bench to bo lenient, and not to commit them to prison, but rather to admit them to some short period of probation. As an alternative, counsel suggested that in view of the sharp and salutary lesson which the accused had learned, that they be ordered to come up for sentence when- called upon. Tho Bench stigmatised the offence as being a particularly mean one, in view of the surrounding circumstances, only the accused's previous, good character-prevented riie imposition of a heavy. sentence. The 'Court, however, could not allow such an offence to go unpunished. Accused Would bo fined £5 each, with, the alternative of one month’s imprisonment. On the application of counsel three months were allowed in which to pay the fine. '