R. D. VAN THEFT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 82, 1 November 1939, Page 5

R. D. VAN THEFT

YOUNG VAGRANT CONVICTED THREE >.MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT * Described by the police as a young : man who had been wandering round the country in association with an : alleged criminal, doing nothing but : stealing, George Ahitahi Duncan. native labourer, aged 20, of no fixed ; abode, appeared in the Whakatane Police Court on Monday before Messrs G. A. Brabant and B. S. Barry . Justices of the Peace, charged with being an idle and disorderly person, with the theft of £1 13s 4d, the property of Constance Fennessy, with the theft of £1 3s, the property of ■ John Fox, and with the theft of £16, the property of John George Dockray, offences having been on October 27 at Whakatane. He was also charged with the theft of £40, the property of Jofon 'Savage, at Rotorua, on October 12. He pleaded guilty to the first four •charges, and he elected to be dealt with summarily on the charge involving the theft of £16. He was remanded to appear at Rotorua on November 3 on the charge of the theft of £40.

Prosecuting, Constable H. Hedlej* .•said that Mr Dockra.y, driver of a •Rural Delivery service. left his van outside his home on Wednesday even ing. At about ten o'clock he put it in a garage. He had left his wallet in a compartment in the dashboard. Next morning he found it had been rifled. The wallet contained envelopes containing money sent in to Wliakatane by Mrs Fennessy and Mr Fox, and £16 in notes. i

The police interviewed Duncan, who after some delay, admitted the offences. Footmarks in the garage •were identical with those made by ;the boots worn by accused, and keys from the van were found in his possession. When arrested he had the sum of £3 6s 7%d in his pocket, and lie said that he had spent approximately £18 16s on drink. The constable added that he had his doubts whether he could have done this.

Duncan had been before the court "In June when he was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for car at Rolorua. He had been ; going round Ihe countryside with •one George Harold Cook, another criminal, said the constable, and they wandered round doing nothing but stealing. They were alleged to have -taken £40 at Rotorua. Duncan had .-an earlier conviction for theft, and ;as far as the police knew his term of probation had two or three months to run. He had throwp away his Duncan had nothing to say. On the charge of theft he was convicted and sentenced to three months "imprisonment. He was convicted and discharged on the other counts. The bench ordered the £3 6s 7}&d found -on him to be returned to Mr Dockray.