BENZINE THEFTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 234, 6 November 1940, Page 5

BENZINE THEFTS

A FURTHER PROSECUTION SUBSTANTIA!, FINE FOR MAORI Police activities in connection with numerous complaints regarding the theft of benzine from cars and garages resulted in yet another arrest over the week-end and the appearance of [ a Maori recently arrived from' Taranaki. The case was heard on Monday before Messrs G. A.j Brabant and J. G. Mulhollandi and resulted in the defendant being fined the sum of £3 each of three separate charges and being ordered to make restitution. Wilson Mark who was charged with stealing 4 gallons from a car on September 13, two further gallons on the same date from a person unknown and four gallons on October 1 from another stationary car, plead ed guilty to all charges. Sergeant Farrell said that he was one of the gang recently before the J court on similar charges and his depredations had been committed in the Edgecumbe and Whalcatane districts. He had as far as was known to the police lived a fairly decent life till now but had apparently! decided to run wild. The Sergeant added that the public was complain ing bitterly about the growing prevalance of this kind of offence which was extremely hard to detect and he asked that an example be made. "We have got to put down this type of theft," observed the Bench in inflicting the fine above mentioned. "Any cases after this we will seriously consider inflicting a goal sentence without the option of a fine."