CONVERSION OF CAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 65, 17 April 1945, Page 2

CONVERSION OF CAR

THEFT FROM WHAKATANE THREE MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT

At t lie Opotiki Courthouse on Tuesday March 27 ? before Messrs. C. Pipe and W. T. Burrett justices Ben Kora aged 22 years was I f ° " !» charged that at Whakatane on March 22 he unlawfully converted to his own use a motor car valued at £300, the property of Leonard Hoyland. Defendant appeared on remand from the previous day, and pleaded not guilty.

Sergeant J. Isbister who con 55 '5 ducted the prosecution on behalf ol the police, said that the car ir

question belonged to a sharemilker who went to a picture theatre in Whakatane ( locking the ignition and putting the key in the pocket in the dashboard. When he went to get the car at about 11 p.m. it was gone. Accused was questioned on the matter after the car had been found in Opotiki and he denied having .been in Opotiki that night. Evidence was given by Waka Kahika of aged 17 years who stated that he was in that town at a late hour on the night in ques-. tion. He went to and as he came out, a car, answering to the description of the stolen pulled up, and the driver, a Maori } asked him if he knew any of the Hudsons. He then asked witness if he knew Mehi Tokomore and he re-

plied that she was working at the Masonic Hotel. Accused said he was looking for a place to sleep and told witness to hop in the car to see if they could find where Mehi's room was. They went into the hotel and found the first room

empty. In the second tliey shone their torch on a girl's ,I'ace. They enquired where Mehi's room was and found that it was opposite, but locked. Witness then went home.. The man in the dock was the man witness had been with that night. He had given his name as Len Dray-* ton. Mehi Tokomore stated that she had known accused since their school days. On the morning of 23rd she found that a note addressed to her had been pushed under 1 the door of the room next to hers. The note was written in indearing terms and was signed Len Drayton. Witness knew no one of that name. Accused admitted being in Whakatane on the night in question but denied taking the car. He stated that he purchased a ticket for Wai-» mana at Whakatane and afterwards went on to Waiotalii. No pi-oof could be found that accused travelled from Whakatane to Waimana by service car on the 22nd. The damage to the car amounted to about £20.

Accused was convicted and sentenced to three months' hard labour