Heard Explosion And The Car Drive Off

Chronicle (Levin), 21 October 1949, Page 6

Heard Explosion And The Car Drive Off

WELLINGTON, Oct. 20. j The trial of two meii 011 charges oi' breaking and eutering Woolworths j Ltd., Masterton, on July 4, and stealing 1 about £600, and being t'ound in posses- ; sion of liousebreaking implenients, iie : gan in the Suprenie Court today. Ac- i cused were Arcliibald Walter Banks. j aged 37, chemist, and Brian Douglas ! Banks, aged 24. Detective F. A. Gordon, of Masterton,: stated in evidenee there liad been an ; epidemie of safebreaking in the Mus terton district. Witness said two' strongrooms in Martinborough and onc in Carterton liad also been broken into.i Trevor Yelverton Bartlev, nianagei , of Woolworths Ltd.', Masterton, said1 there was £000 in the safe 011 Ihe Kri- j day night but. when he was called there 1 by the police on the Sunday, £od3 was j missing. The glass had been takeu out ; of a window and there was a smell of j explosives, said witness. Othgr witntiss&s fekid- they'-'he'a'rd 'an] explosion shortlv after midnight, fol j Jowed by the soun.1 of a car being | driven away. Constable J. F. Btevenson, of Lower j Ilutt, said that after taking a messagej from Wellington, he went in a patrol car to a spot nea)- the bilverstreani j bridge and stopped southbound traliic. About 1.42 a.m. lie lield up a car witli! the two aecused in it. bearehing tlu. car he fcund an exceptionally povverful electric torcli, a carpenter s w tecivijig ■. bar, a cold chisel, butcher's knii'e, pair of pincers, side' cutting pliers, a hea\ y: screwdriver, wood chisel, (51 yards of rope, a eoil of fuse, detonators and u: pair of tinsnips. The court theu heard technical 0 \ i - dence comparing tlie uuirks 011 the sui'e (Ittings in Woolworth's witli impre.i ' siotis on the pliers found in the car. Evidenee for the defence was then 1 heard. ' Brian Banks said his brother and he; had taken another man to Maoribank, j On the way back they had been aslud! for a ride by two men walking 011 tl.e J road near Upper Ilutt. These men had! a large army kitbag. Accused sa;dj they gave the men a ride. Approarhing ; bil verstream there was a car uoscd 0:1! to the road. Accused added: "Just then a torch flashed alxead of us. Oue of the chaps said, would you niind stppping here? This is far enough for us.-" The men got out, one of tliem taldug the bag. The police stopped tlie caf'-.Tiirther along the road. To Mr. Cunuinghain, for tlie Crown, , accused said the men must have slippt j soine of the tools under the buckel i-f the front seats or the car. The hearing will be continued to- j morrow.