YOUTHS' CRIME CAREER

Chronicle (Levin), 6 March 1946, Page 4

YOUTHS' CRIME CAREER

CAR caNVERSlONv AND>THEFTS INCIDENTS AT LEVIN j . After a career of- crime;. thretf youths pleaded-guilty: tO charges- in" tne Fetihmg- Court - yesterday « and: were * committed-- to- the-^ Supreme - Court ' for , sentence. oortfmeiieing- tlie" u'nlawfiil' eoa^ vfersioa of ' a nlotftr ear • stt i Levin, tlie accused conlraitted, thoft1 at ' the Levin? Seliool, then journeyed to Koputaroa, r where thley stole -frOnl the store. Con.-« tinuialg on in the purloined ear they -Jstravelled to Feilding via Palmerston? North, visitihg the Colyton districtwhere they committed ' theft-- from" dwellifigs, . to retfirk! to > Feilding to?' break and enter another dwelling im .Manchester Street. The wearing of an? imith-tiom gold ornamental bangle by) one- of the Maoris provided the elne for' the arrest of the accused -by- ConstaMe* j.' Fl MeCxlya in" FeiMihg' oh' the- evening of » Februa-ry 2o> last. The accused^' were (ieorge- Robbft Te Awa, aged 20' yea-rs, of Hastings, lately employed at' tlie Te' Moana -Freezing Works, Danny Te Kaninamu, aged . ab.out 19 yearsy lately employed 'by- the-'Gisborne Freezing Works; and Hector Stuart Macdonal'd, aged aboii't 19" years; farm h a-nd; of Napier; Sergt. A. M. HardLng, M.B.E., prosecuted.

They were jointly .arraigned on the following charges: (1) Unlawful conyersion of a motor ear valued at £400tliti property of John McGregor Wright of Levin; (2) theft from the Levin School on the night of February 23 of * erticles including 4/6 in money, valned"in all- -at £2- tlie property of'Mary Jean^ Ransom, school teacher; (3) hreaking* • •and entering and theft from the store of Ri-chard Spencer Brown, storekeeper, Kopptaroa; (4) theft from the dwelling of Mary Buchanan at Colyton of articles including money valued at £4; theft* froiu the dwelling of Kathleen Lanksliear of articles including £S in money -of a total value of £17; (6) breaking and? entering and theft from the dwelling of Harold H. Mawhinney, Manchester Street Feilding, of clothingvalued at £20. After the owners of the stolen property had given evidence identifying various articles and- detailed the sums of mone}' missed, Constable McGlyn told tlie Court ■ that he had interviewed the accused at the Palmerston North police station after arresting them shortlv after 6 p.rm in Feilding on F'ebruarv~25. He identified the stolen motor car and also the bangle which was worn by one of the Maoris. The car contained much of the stolen property. The accused Te Awa stated that' he- left the freezing. works at Hastings on February- I8; atid as a result of a disputc with his mother decided to leave home. He went to Na-- . pier- where ho- met Te Kaninamu and' Macdonald and all tliree -agreed to go-

ro Wellington- where they stayed a*« night at the Salvation Army hostel. On February 22 they caught the train to Levin .where they played billiards and attended the pictures. After the pictures that night they proceeded to the school gi'ounds looking for a place to sleep and seeing- a winvlow open entered the school building where they slept. - Rere Te Awa admitted that he took a bangle. a ring and some mone.v. They remained in town the following day •ind Te A'wa and Te Kaninamu went off to loolc for a car. They soon found oue - iuid drove off to pick up Macdonald. They then proceeded to Koputaroa stopping at the store where Te Awa said- he would' se:e*-tf he could get some money. Mae,donald remained in tlie car while Te Awa and Te Kaninamu entercd the preniises taking a couple of watches and other articles.- While engaged on this crime they were disturbed by a member of tlie hdusehold' awakening, so they decamped, re.joined Macdonald- and drove off towards Palmerston North. On the way they siphoned petrol from other cars a-nd eventually arrived in Feilding. , where tlie.y parked the car near the saleyards and wandered- aboiit the town. They lator returned to the car, Te Awa con-^ Pessing that they wanted some money. Drivin'g. out to Colyton they stoppediirst at one house- where tlie front door was open. Te Awa said he would go in. I-fc entered the house and although he admitted .'hearing people talking he proceeded to i-ansack a bedroom where he obtained £3 10s in monejr. He then ieft, re.joined the ear, -and drove on to another house where again the front door was open. "I think I heard people inside, but I went into a* bedroom, opened a drawe'r, and fOund a -handbag containing a purse. I took the" purse also a gpld eompaet and some money, giving Te Kaninamu £1 and 'Macdonald 10s. " The accused then | drove baclc to the t'eiTdfng saleyards and decided to enter a house directlv jopposite. Te Awa entefed the house, • taking 10s. in money and some clo thing ! including a- pbir of slioeS and an overeoat.

Constable McGlyn then read the statement made by Te Kaninamu which confirmed that of Te Awa. He had been working at the Gisborne Freezing^ Works but left on February 19 and proceeded to Wairoa- and thence to Napier where he- met - Te- Awa as well as Macdonald. On the Rundav evening of February 24 Te Kaiiinamu said they nicked up some Maoris ih Feilding and* drove them to Greatfbrd where they staved the night and returned to Feilding on the Moftday afternoon, rernaining in town untiT arrested t'hat evening. The statement of Hector Rtuar't IMacdbnald corroborated that of the other accused. He said he was a farm hand ' aii'd liad decided to take af holidaj* leaving. the farm on which ho was emploved on February 15 and later met Te Awa ahd'Te Kaninamu. ,