COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

Chronicle (Levin), 12 February 1948, Page 7

COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

■Man Charged With Thefts In Otaki and Levin

Facing four charges of breaking, enteving and theft at Otaki, Levin and Palmerston North, and one charge of theft at Hamilton, Leslie John Parnell yvas eommitted to the Supreme Court for trial when he " appeared in the Alagistrate 's Cjourt at Palinerston North yosterday before Mr. II. E. Herd, S.M. Accused pleaded not guilty on all aeeouuts. Two rilles, a sack of ammunition, a man's suit, 'a pair of binorulars and sundry articles were included in the pile of property exhibited iu ihe Court room. Detective Sergeant Alty conducted proceedings for the police.. J. E. Southgate, principal of the firm oi' Southgate Motor Garages at Otaki, said that on January 9, he fouud that the firm's premises in Main Itoad had been broken 'into. Thg office door was open and papers were scattered around the door. The safe and a eustomer 's rar vvere missing. Entrance had been gained by prising the front door. The safe' contained office flies and about £18 in casli. The car had been reeovered later together with the. majority of the papers. On the same day the safe was reeovered near Otaki beach. The back had been cut out of it and the money had not. sinre been reeovered. K. E. Walker, motor mecnanic, etn- ! ploved by the lirm, identilied a hammer produeed in Court as one he had missed about che day before the garage had been broken into and he had not seen it sinee. G. A. S. Tester, motor meehanie eraployed at the firm's garage in Mill Koad, Otairi, stated that wlien he had returned to the garage on January 9, the loek ■ was missing from the door. The safe was wide open and a tebacco tin eontaining about £5 in eash was missing together with a inoney bag. He identilied a bag produeed by Sergeant AJty as the one that had" been missing. Further evidence was given by L. R. W. Iieid, grazier, of Wanganui. On •January 10, he said, he had made arrangemeiits to have his car, a Y8 coupe; taken to a garage in Wanganui. As a result of information he had received. he had taken possession of his car again from the Palmerston North police statiou on January 19. Constable M. E. Andrews, of Wanganui, stated that on January 18, while on night duty, he saw two cars parked in Trafalgar Piace. As he approaehed the lirst car pulied away at considerable speed. The other car, a Humber, contained a qpantity of luggage and miscellaneous goods. He eontinued on his beat, returning later to where the car had been parked to fmd that it had been removed. Aceompanied by other police office rs, a search was made and the car eventually located in St. HiJl's Street. A man was seen to ruu from the back of ihe car, but a chase proved fruitless. A Eord V8 coupe was parked near the Humber aud he recoguised in it -sume - goods that prc-Viously he had seen in the Humber. The 'Humber wa& taken to the "Wanganui police statiou and when he returned to the scene later tlie Y8 was missing. On January i'u, ihe accused had been brought into the \Vangauui police statiou and' lie had in : his possession certain .property which: included a lcey which litted tho ignifion and door lock of the Humber car.

> _ oergeaut C. innes, of Palmerston North, said that eariy on the morhing of January 19, he .saw a car approacJt- • ng ,to\vu haiigilikei Street from tin. o.rection of \\ anganui. When it hau icached the vicinity of Featherston Street, it had stopped^ and the iigiu; were put out. fn compaiiy with Con stable Kobiuson, he hau approaehed the ai \\ hich \s as parked uear the garagt of JoJly and Mins and saw that it Wa.-? a V b coupe. -Vccuse'd was sitliug be mnd ihe uheel aud a quantity oi; lug \\ clJ5 luuild- III Llic 000 1 Oi tilO CU.I. Constable \V. Sleeth, attached to tin detective office at Palmerston Aoiln. ■wnd that on .Jauuary 19, in compam ./lth the accased, he had made au ui -pection oi the property which hau oeeu reeovered iruni tiio car. Accu.-,eu uad said that a lriend 's property was mixed up with his own aua umong tha., which he said beiouged to his frienu were ua eugiueer's hammer and a ino n ev bag contaiuing about £G. Accused had sa'id that he had been to the Wellington races on January 17 ano iiitei tiad gone into VVeliington where ne met a lriend who was iu possession oi a motor car. fhey bot'h had travel icd tnrough to Wanganui where the\ had abandoned their car and transferred lo the \'8. P. A. Petersen, garage k.eeper, ot Levin, satd that on January J7 he louud that his premises had been i orotceu into. The office door was open and papers were streun on the lloor Two cigar boxes, whieli had containeo money, nad been euiptied for some odu tlu eepences and peunies and a loglighi and ciesceut spanner were missiug. Ovei £1 in cash aud about 16s in pett\ eash had been removed. He identiiiea tlie iogiight and spanner produeed in Louit as those which had been remov ed. Hrs. M. E. Haiues, of Levin, em ployed by the previous wituess, identilied a money bag which had been re inoved from the office and also a rob oi money bearing her handwritinu, ootli oi which were exhibited in

1. h. W lnte, secrelary of Hamilton Autos, Hamilton, said that on Hecem ber LJ when he returned to his piace oi business evervthing appeared to bt as he had left it on December 24. But he subsequently discovered that a cai 'was missing from the showroom ano evidently had been driven out the 1'rondoor The car was a 1947 Humber IU On 1 cbruary 10, he had inspeeted the car at the Wanganui police statiou. J , had been altered to the extent thai paris oi it had been jjainted over in black. 1'1' //. Lewis, manager of the Crown t urnishmg Alart, in Main Street, Palmelston North, said that he had discov ered the Jock on the door of his prem ises had been broken when he went to open his shojp on January 12. An ex aminatiou of the stoelc revealed thai the rilie raclc had been eniptied. Thret iifl.es, a quantity of ammunition, two pairs of biiioculars and sundry items w ere missing1. He identifled itenis produeed in .Court as some of the stolen

property. Accused was eommitted to trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court in Palmerston North on Anril 26 . '