MANY OFFENCES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21415, 6 March 1935, Page 4

MANY OFFENCES

CHARGES AGAINST LABOURER IMPRISONMENT FOR TWELVE MONTHS A scries of thefts and other offences committed in different parts of the country resulted in Peter Sharp Russell, a labourer, aged 40, being sentenced to imprisonment for a total period of 32 months with hard labour at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr E. U. Mosley, S.M., presided. The charges against Russell iwho pleaded guilty to all of them), and the sentence for each of them, were as follows: — Theft of bicycle valued £4, at Geraldine on December 20, 1934, the property of George Duncan McDonald—Six months' imprisonment with hard labour. Assault on William Langlow at Wanganui on April 7, 1934 —Convicted and discharged. Theft of shaving equipment and bag valued £1 ss, properly of A. E. Hunt, at Wanganui, on April 8, 1934—0ne month's imprisonment. Obtaining bicycle value £]4 8s Od from Chancy Bros., Wanganui, by false pretences, on April 9, 1934—Six months' imprisonment, cumulative with the first six months'. Obtaining by false pretences £2 from D. G. Humphries, at Christchurch, on May 12, 1934—Three months' imprisonment. Obtaining, with intent to defraud, motor tubes valued 235, from Frank .Wilson, at Rakaia, on May 13, 1934 One month's imprisonment. Obtaining clothing value £2 19s 4d by false pretences, from G. Newlands, at Taylorville, on July 9, 1934—Three months' imprisonment. Stealing a suit, value £5, from W. McCormack, at Christchurch, on August 29, 1934—Six months' imprisonment.

Stealing £1 15s from Alfred Sutherland, at Rangiora, on September 25, 1934 —One month's imprisonment. Roaming About the Country Chief-Detective W. H. Dunlop said that Russell had been roaming about the country carrying his swag, and the offences had been committed at many places. At Geraldine he had called seeking employment, and though this could not be given him, he had borrowed McDonald's bicycle. He had then disappeared with it. The second bicycle, at Wanganui, had been obtained on a hire-purchase arrangement. Russell had been given the credit because he represented that he was in employment, which was not true. He had thereafter disappeared. The assault charge arose from an incident that was more a fight than an assault. Russell and Langlow had been drinking and in a subsequent fight Langlow received a black eye. The matter was reported to ihe police and a warrant was issued, but Russell could not be found. In May. when Russell was rabbiting in company with a man named Humphries—a brother of the complainant—he had gone to Rakaia and had obtained three motor tubes from Wilson by representing that he was Humphries. He also obtained £2 from Humphries by falsely representing that his motor-lorry had broken down. Other Charges TJie shaving articles stolen from Hunt were borrowed and not returned. At Taylorville in July, Russell represented to Newlands that he was employed in the Wallsend mine, which was false, and obtained clothing from him on credit. In August, at Christchurch, Russell offered to get McCormack's suit, cleaned for him, but instead sold it for 15s. The only conviction previously recorded against Russell, who had used the alias of Andrew Reid for some of these offences, was for drunkenness. Sentence was then passed on Russell in the terms already stated, the magistrate remarking that the community had to be protected from such depredations.