AIR FORCE STATION THEFTS

Chronicle (Levin), 19 June 1946, Page 3

AIR FORCE STATION THEFTS

| OHAKEA MEN BEFORE COURT | Found in illegal possessiou of Air ; l,1orce xnoperty, several nieniber.s of tlie I Oliakea Air Force station stalf were brought before tlie Court in Bulls on Fiiday charged with tlieft. On the Bencli were Messrs. F. A. Uolland aua ; E._ W. Smart, J.P.'s, and tlie prosecuj tion was conducted on belialf of the ; police by Oonstable AI cAlpine. Ali , concemed entered pleas of guilty and j their cases were disposed of as under: — j Colin Eeid Adanis, charged with theft of a pair of flying boots on June 9 the , property of tlie lt.N.Z.A.F., valued at , £1 4s, was convicted and lined £3. Similarly charged William George Lapham and Froderick Lawson. Olainp were dealt with in a like manncr. • On furtlier charges of theft involving a pair of sunglasses (valued £1 5s), au jofficer's cap badge (valued at 18s), metal wing flying badge (valued at 2s !6d), gloves (valued at 10s) aud a jWarrant oiflcer's badge (valued at 2s), I Clamp was also convicted and made ; additional paymeflts to tlie revenue. : For stealiug a pair 'of . service boots ! (valued at 12s >d) .TosCph James Oronin was convicted and lined £3. ! Evidencee of eliaracter was given by i Flying .Officer 1L A. Levy, E.M. Wlien detailing the cases Constable i IMcAlpiue iiointed out. that tliefts ai Ohakea were becoming vei-y prevalent. | Tlie airmeu before tlie Court liad posi tions of trust wliicli liad been abused and they had taken advantage of sanie to commit the tliefts eliarged witli. At Ohakea, as in most Air Force statious, thefts were easv to carry out but hard to detect. In the cases before the Court .the actual v.alue of the articles stoleiR was not great but the value iu tio way lessened the oft'euce.