MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2882, 21 September 1916, Page 9

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

THEFT OF PETROL ACCUSED PLEADS GUILTY Owing to Mr. W. G. Riddoll being engaged on. the Marino Inquiry, and Mr. D. G. A. Cooper holding a sitting of tho Magistrate's Court in tho suburbs, Messrs. Coy and Salek, Justices of the Peace, presided at the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, yesterday. THEFT OF COPPER WIRE. Alfred James Taylor pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of liewt. of scrap copper wiro, valued at £45, from tho Post and' Telegraph Stores, the property of the Now Zealand Government. Chief Detective Boddani prosecuted, and Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for accused. According to the "evidence accused, who is a married man in the employ of tho carting contractor to the Government, ' stole the copper wiro and sold it to the Kia Ora Galvanised Iron Company, of Egmont Street, for £27 Bs. id. The accused gave a receipt for the money, tho signature being A. Nay lor. Accused was committed to the Supremo Court for sentence, bail being allowed as previously. It was 6tatcd by counsel that tho money obtained by tho sale of the, wiro would be refunded. . ' ' ■ t MORNING THEFTS OF PETROL. John Alfred Shirley, motor-car driver, (represented by Mr. H. F. O'Leary, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering the premises of J. E. Fitzgerald, motor importer, Lambton Quay, and stealing petrol of tho value of £4 4s. Chief Detective Boddam conducted tho prosecution. John Lcddy, accountant to J. E. Fitzgerald, stated that several cases >f petrol were.in.tho garago on September 6, and' on the following morning two full cases were found to bo missing. The matter was' immediately reported to the police, and on the night of Friday, September 8, a watch ivas kept by Detective Mason and witness, from 10 p.m. to 5 o'clock tho next morning, when Detective Mason loft. Witness then crept upstairs, and shortly afterwards there was a ring on tho telephone, followed presently by a motor-car pulling up at tho door, which was kicked-sovoraLtimes. Witness heard tho door being unlocked, after which someone entered tho premises and fumbled amongst the petrol cases. Later, the door v of tho garago was slammed. Witness immediately crept downstairs, looked through an aperture, and saw a man drive away in ii motor-car. On making a? examination witness found that a full case of petrol had disappeared. On Saturday night witness and Detective Mason again kept watch, but nothing resulted. On tho following night, the two again kept watch, hiding in tho show window. Soon after 5 o'clock on Monday morning, a motor-car pulled up at the garage, there was again the kicking of tho door, -which was presently unlocked, and a man entered and went towards tho petrol. When the man was returning, Detective .Mason jumped out, and confronted him, while witness turned on the lights. Accused was then discovered carrying a case of petrol on his shoulder. Detective Mason gave corroborativoevidence, and tho accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. FINDING MONEY IN THE STREET. Joseph Mooney was charged ■ with the theft of five £5 notes, the property of Georgo Hunt. Inspector Hcndrey, who prosecuted, said the case was a peculiar one. The money was lost in a public street and found by accused, Who converted to : his own uso two of tho notes, spending in all about £6 16s. Tho complainant, George Hunt, who is a iiies6enger in tho Dot'once Department, Buckle Street, stated that after leaving the office at u p.m. on September 5, he proceeded down Tory Street, . into Vivian Street and Cuba Street, ', and thou went to his home, when he discovered his loss. He immediately ! went back over the ground and searched for the missing money without result. Ho advertised his loss in a newspaper. Two officers of tho Salvation Army connected with the Army's Workmen's • Home in Bucklo Street stated that ac- i cused lived at the home, and had done ■ no work for some time. Ho did odd : jobs about tho place for his board and lodging. On September 7 he gave one of tho officers of the institution four £5 notes to hold, and the next day got them back again. Accused said , he had got them from his son in England. Plain-clothes Constable Wallace, who arrested accused, ' gave corroborative evidence. Ho stated that Mooney had been arrested for drunkenness, and was before the Court at Mount Cook. When searched on that occasionhe bad four £5 notes in his possession. When arrested on the present charge he had £18 4s. 2d. on him. Accused pleaded not. guilty to the charge of theft, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. OTHER CASES. Remands to Friday were granted in the cases against James Alexander Robertson, charged with the theft of six rolls of bacon and other goods, and Thomas Francis M'Millan, ' charged with obtaining money by false pretences, and with the theft of a gold ring valued at 355., the property of Elsie Manson. Victor Reginald Haslem, on a charge of attempting to commit an offence on a male, and Charles Leddy, charged wth assault on Pearl Blair, causing actual bodily harm, were remanded for a week. For .insobriety two first offenders were convicted and dscharged, and John M'Kinnon, against whom there were two previous convictions, was lined 10s., default being fixed at 48 hours' .imprisonment.