STOLEN MAGNETO

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 220, 11 June 1921, Page 8

STOLEN MAGNETO

A CHARGE OF RECEIVING DISMISSED BY MAGISTRATE William J. Collins, for whpm Mr. C. B. O’Donnell appeared, was charged liefore Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, with having on May 10 received from Donald Gray a. magneto valued at .£l7 10s., knowing it to liave been stolen. Two men had previously been convicted of the theft of the magneto, which the police alleged had been sold by'one of the two men to the accused for .£3. Chief Detective Ward appeared for the police.' Robert Griffin said that he had a concrete-mixing plant at Masterton, and to this was attached a magneto which disappeared one morning. He later received tho magneto from the police. Allan R. George said that on May 9 he and Gray stole the magneto rind were later convicted and sentenced. The magneto wan brought io Wellington and ‘.ecreted in the Basin Reserve. They met a man with whom Gray had a conversation, and later, as a result of this, witness recovered the magneto and handed it to Gray. They then went into Taranaki Street and Went to a boardinghouse. Witness remained outside in a shop door, while Gray wont to the boardinghouse and witness saw the magneto handed over to n man. Gray returned with £3. which they sharer].

Donald Gray said that on May 9 he was at Masterton when the magneto was stolon. Ho was convicted of the theft with George. Tho magneto was brought to Wellington, and by tho aid of another man they took tho magneto lo Collins’s. Witness asked Collins if he wished to buy the magneto, and Collins said he did not. Witness then a.-ked permission to leave the magneto at ths boardinghouse. He then rejoined George and told the latter ha had got £3. This money belonged to witness. Collins did not give witness any money, nor did witness borrow any from Collins. ’He had known Collins for about 20 years. In a statement he made to the police, witness admitted that he had sold the magneto to Collins. Witness said that the statement was not correct. Witness further denied speaking to Collins that morning. He. told George that he had sold the magneto for .£3, because he wished ’to secure possession of it and sell it for more.

For the defence, Mr. O’Donnell said that Collins gave the man who called with the parcel permission to leave it there. The man was under the influence of liquor, and wanted accommodation at the boardinghouse, but this Collins refused, and the man then asked permission to leave the parcel, and said hi would call again for it. Robert .Morris, carrier, said he remembered that on May 10 ho was at Collins’s place, where ho called to collect an account. While lie was there,’ a man called and asked for accommodation, and was told that there was no room. The man, who had a parcel under his arm, asked if ho could leave the parcel. He was given permission to do so, and witness heard the man say that he would call again for the parcel. He could not identify tho man. Mrs. Collins, wife of the accused, also gave evidence. She said that she was not present when the parcel was left at tho house. She saw it there behind the door. ;

William J. Collins, private hotelkeeper, .said that the man called while witness was talking to the carrier, and asked for a bed. The man was under tho influence of liquor, and witnow said that there was no room available then. He asked permission to leave tho parcel, and witness told him he could do so, and the parcel, which was heavy, was placed on tho floor behind the door. Witness declared that he did not know Gray, although the latter said lie had known Collins on and off for about twenty years. Witness admitted that he had been before the Court several times before. ~ The Magistrate said that he had his own opinion about the matter, but that there was not sufficient evidence to warrant a conviction. The information was accordingly dismissed.