FIRE AND BURGLARY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 14, 22 May 1939, Page 5

FIRE AND BURGLARY

MEN CONVICTED REMANDED FOR SENTENCE Allegations of breaking and entering were preferred against Sydney Gordon Ross ( aged 2!), labourer, and Bernard Andrew Meßrearty, aged 25, labourer and butcher when they appeared in the Police Court! before Mr C. 11. Orr Walker, S.M. DetectiveSergeant A. CI. 'McHngh prosecuted. Mr Allan J. Moody represented the two accused. They were eharged with breaking and entering on April 10 the counting house of the Tuakau Town Board and stealing .143 las in money, a gold and diamond and other articles, of a total value of £50 5g 6d They were charged further that on April 21 at Te Puke they broke and entered by night the Patterson Bar. gain Stores and stole £120' in money and two canvas money bags. Meßrearty was also eharged with stealing on March 28_ at Tauranga a motor car valued at. £250, the property of George Chrichton Malby. Ross was charged with receiving on April 2 at Wellington postal notes t-> the value of £'30, well knowing the same to have been dishonestly ob-' tained. Store Found on Fii*e Eric Raymond Bartrum, manager of the Patterson Bargain Stores. Te Puke, said that on the night of April 21 he locked the safe which contained the firmls books and £120 in money, consisting of £40 in cheques, £20, in silver, and the balance in notes. About two o'clock the following morning he went to thp nremises and found them on fire. When the fire was extinguished he discovered the safe lying in the office face down with the doon open. The safe appeared to have been blown open. The money was gone. Besides the monev stolen the damage amounted to £1100 Michael Robert Douglas McGahan, solicitor, of Tuakau, and town clerk of the Tuakau Town Board, said that o n the morning of April 16 he found the door of a safe in the strongroom at the board's office wide open. Part of the door was lying against the ] safe. Cash boxes from the safe bad been broken ami h-i"* on the floor. Money totalling £43 15s was missing. Damage to Safe $40 Witness said that a diamond ring valued at £10 his own pronertv. was also missing. The damage to the safe he estimated at £40. William Leonard Mills, postmaster at Oh an. said that on the morning of April 1 he discovered that the post off : ce had be ,v n entered and the ''afe blown open. Money consisting of £32 in notes, £5 17s 6d in silver and 3v 7d in coppers, stamps valued at £15 4s I 1d m and postal notes valued at £S5 10s Od were missing. Of the postal notes £7-1 lis worth had since been cashed. Harold George storekeeper., of Te Aroha. and Hugh Dent. stor°. keeper of Xg"tea. gave ev'-dnrjee that the accused Ross had called at their stores and had tendered postal notes in payment for small purchases George Chrichton Maltbv, solicitor. of Tauranga, said he had identified a car at the central police slaf;on, Auckland. as his property. The number plates were missing and the vehicle had been repainted. Witness estimated the damage to the car at about £70. Money in Roof of House Detective Sergeant F. N. Alpin - said on April 24 he went to a house 1 in Pukekohe East and there saw Ihe 1 two occupants. In a bedroom occupied by them he found a small suit. I- case which contained a quantity of gelignite, detonators and fuse. Under 1 the mattress o! a bed witness discovi ere<l a cash bag contain'ng £2 19s in > silver. He was present when Detce- - tive Hunt found a. cash bag containf ing £1 9s 9d in silver and £11 10s in .1 notes and silver in the roof of the i house. ;1 Detective Sergeant J. Trethewey v 'aid that on the same dat- with the ! previous witness he went to the t > house and there saw a motor car in t the yard. The accused Mc.Brea.rty. _ who gave his name Burnett, hands ed witness £1 10s 9d. r Witness s°id that the accused Rosp in a statement stated that the safe ? n the Patterson Bargain Stores was smouldering after the and accused put water over it. When l* 1 they left the premises they were sat. n isfied there was no risk of fire. (Continued at foot of nex'j column,]

The two accused pleaded guilty to the charges rind were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. A charge against Ro s of a breach of the conditions of his probationary licence, an<l a charge against McBrearty of stealing at Kerepeehi on April' 2f a set "of car nttmber plates were adjourned unti] June 2. Morton /Pleads .Guilty A plea of guilty was entered by George Edward Morton, aged 26, labourer and butcher who was charged in the Police Court with receiving from Sydney Gordon Ross a postal ncte for 15s, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained. IXtective Sergeant McHngh said that accused had been in trouble bcfore. The Mr C. R. Orr Walker, said that by treating accused leniently on this charge he might help him to make good. Accused would be admitted to .probation for one year.