AMERICANS AS DECOYS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 6

AMERICANS AS DECOYS

Plan To Buy Liquor While Police Watch EVIDENCE IN COURT Evidence that two United States servicemen - had acted as decoys and led a police party to a garage at Paekakariki where the ' police watched while liquor was sold was given in the Magistrates Court, 'Wellington, yesterday wheh William Campbell, agent, was charged with selling liquor without a licence. Electing to be tried by jury, he was admitted to bail and will appear at the next criminal sessions of the Supreme Court. Campbell was represented.by Mr. R. E. Pope. Cross-examined by Mr. Pope, Sergeant R. A. A. Prater admitted that the police met the two servicemen by arrangement and drove them in a police car to Campbell’s house. No explanation was made of the reason for the proceedings to the Americans, who told the police that beer, wine and spirits' were available at the house. The servicemen had been offered money to make purchases but. declined, though they later accepted £l/1/6, which was the cost of the wine aud stout surrendered to the police. Sergeant Prater told Senior-Sergeant T. Campagnolo that he had not made the arrangement himself and did not know whether the meeting had been fixed by the police or the United States authorities. Members of the police party which carried out the raid said in evidence that they heard bottles clinking in the garage and money being counted out, also inquiries and answers about the cost of liquor. 'When they entered, Campbell denied that the servicemen had bought the liquor there or had paid for it. He told the police that the two men were on their way to a party at his home, but they denied that. ■ A search of the garage disclosed 21 erates of empty bottles, together with some sacks of bottles and some emptykegs. Campbell said he had collected them. , „ Evidence of the purchase of the liquor was given by the two United States servicemen. No evidence was called for the defence.