BOY SHOPLIFTERS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 105, 28 January 1935, Page 6

BOY SHOPLIFTERS

Gang of Twelve Caught CITY STORE THEFTS Thirteen boys of primary school age admitted shoplifting when they appeared in the Children’s Court at Wellington on Saturday morning. Twelve of the boys were charged together and were stated to have been engaged in systematic thieving, mostly from Woolworth’s, between December 18 and 21. Most of the articles which the boys stole were toys, but face cream and powder, trinkets, a scout knife and a torch were mentioned, their values being various amounts up to 2/6. All were the property of the D.I.C. and Woolworth’s, and had been taken between December 18 and 21. Senior-Sergeant D. J. O’Neill said that on December 23, the mother of one of the boys discovered her son with a scout knife, the acquisition of which he could not explain. He was sent with a gentleman friend to a police station to report, and what he said there im- ■ plicated most of the other boys who were being charged. There had been quite systematic thieving, mostly from Woolworths, The police were bringing only one charge against each boy. The minority of the parents were poor, and lived in the same district of Newtown. Some of the articles had been recovered. Remarking that he and his associates had before them reports on the children, Mr. W. F. Stilwell placed alj except two of the boys under supervision of the Child Welfare Department Those two, he said, were in circumstances more satisfactory, and they were admonished and discharged. To the culprits, he said that if they repeated what they, had done they would be given a “hiding” and would be taken away from home. One other boy admitted taking two books from Whitcombe and T.'tnbs, Ltd., knives and combs from Vfoolworth’s, and various articles from J. 11. McKenzie, Ltd., and Mac Duff’s. De-tective-Sergeant T. Y. Hall said that this and another boy came to Wellington from Petone and committed the thefts. The goods, the total value of which was £l/3/1, had been returned. Mr. Stilwell admonished the boy and placed him under the care of the Child Welfare Department for one year.