THEFT AND RECEIVING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 38, 16 October 1946, Page 5

THEFT AND RECEIVING

BILLIARD BALLS STOLEN. TWO MAORIS CHARGED Two Maoris appeared before Messrs. C. H. Christensen and J. King, J.P.s, at the Whakatane Court last Tuesday, in connection with the theft of two kelly pool balls valued at £6 from the Taneatua billiard saloon. Accused, both of whom pleaded guilty and elected summary trial, were James Nuku Ratana, a farmer of Ruatoki, and Ralph Kereama, alias Ralph Graham, proprietor of the Ruatoki billiard saloon. They were charged respectively with the theft of the balls, and the receiving of same. Sergeant Farrell stated that on October 5, Nuku was in Taneatua, and was at the billiard room there. Several days later, Mr I. G. Wolliams, the billard room proprietor, discovered that two of the kelly pool balls, numbers 11 and 15, were missing. Enquiries were made, and it was discovered that they were at the Ruatoki billiard room. It was noticed also that the same numbers (11 and 15) were missing out of Graham’s own set, proving that the theft was premeditated. The two missing numbers in the Ruatoki set had been stolen from Taneatua to make up the deficiency. Graham, he continued, had, when aproached, declared his intention of informing the police, but had made no effort to use the phone located next door to his premises. The type of theft was quite common, billiard rooms in Whakatane having also suffered considerably. One had recently, in fact, lost 15 cues. Another had commenced with 72 cues, and now had only 34. This proved that steps should be taken to stamp out the practice. Another feature was that Mr Wolliams, the Taneatua saloon proprietor, had only recently commenced in business, and was a returned soldier endeavouring to rehabilitate himself. In the public interest, the offenders should be given a severe lesson.

Asked if he had anything to say, Nuku explained that he was intoxicated at the time he committed the theft. As the other accused and he were good friends, he had decided to do him a good turn by procuring the balls for him, not thinking of the trouble which would eventuate if he were caught. Graham explained that when he had been given the balls, he had been under the impression that they were the ones missing from his own set. It was not until he had examined them more closely that he saw that they were not.

Commenting that it was strange to do one man a good turn by stealing from another, the Bench sentenced both accused to one month’s imprisonment in the Whakatane gaol.