CONVERSION OF CAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 92, 24 November 1939, Page 5

CONVERSION OF CAR

ACCUSED PIM&DS> GUILTY

COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE

I At the Opotiki Police Court last Friday afternoon, before Messrs J. T. Merry and W. T. Burrett, J.P's, a young man, Raymond George Shep herd, was charged with breaking and entering the premises of the Farmers' Trading Co., Opotiki, and stealing chocolates and tinned fruit to the value of 14s 3d. Shepherd was further 'charged with converting a car to his own use at Onehunga on November 15.

Sergeant J. Isbister prosecuted, and in outlining the case said that accused, in company with two corn panions who would appear later In the Children's Court, left Auckland: in a converted car and arrived in Opotiki on Friday morning. While one was away the other two broke into the Farmers' premises. They left Opotiki and when 20 miles away ran out of benzine and started to walk. Their intention was to go to the exhibition in Wellington.

Mr T. Hill, in evidence said he was employed at the Farmers' Trading Co., as manager of the Cash and Carry Department of the company at Opotiki. He locked up the premises securely on Thursday night. When he returned to work on Friday morning he found a window had been broken and an attempt made to force the door. A piece of glass where the window had previously been broken had been taken out and a hole left big enough for a man to get through. The steel and woodwork around the lock had been damaged by some instrument. There was an iron bar at the back of the door and it would have been very hard for anyone to have got in. Chocolates and tins of fruit had been taken.

When asked if he wished to question the witness, accused expressed the opinion tint the hole in the window was not big enough for a man to get in. Constable W. A. Rathie, stated that on Friday at 7.30 a.m., acting on information received, he went tai the Waioeka Gorge. Near Okiore he saw a small Morris car on the side of the road. It appeared to be abandoned. He went on up the gorge another six miles and there he saw the accused with two companions, walking towards Gisborne. He asked them where they were going, and they said to Gisborne to get work. Witness asked tliem if they hid stokm the car which was on the side of the road. They denied having had anything to do with it. He noticed one of them- -not the accused —had a screwdriver in his vest pocket. He asked where he got the 1 screwdriver and was told from off; the running board of the car. Witness detained the three and brought them back to the police station. The accused when searched had nothing in his pocket. One of accused's companions had a hacksaw and hammer. The accused then made a statement after having been duly Avarned. Witness then read the statement in which, accused said lie had known one of his companions for two years and the other for six months. They had decided to go to the exhibition to get a job. They saw a Morris car which they drove down through the Hauraki to Opotiki. After stopping in front of the Farmers' they pulled a board from off a window which had been previously broken. A screwdriver was used on the door but they could not get in. He had never previously been in trouble. Accused said he had nothing to say and pleaded guilty to both charges. The bench committed the accused to the Auckland Supreme Court for sentence.