A Youthful Criminal

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXIV, Issue 427, 19 March 1921, Page 3

A Youthful Criminal

PROMISE OF INTERESTING CAREER.

1A 15-year-old lad who was lately apprehended by the police and committed to a receiving home to be taken care*of, showed every promise of developing into a dangerous and troublesome criminal. The lad lived with his mother, who had a farm at Burwood. He seemed to be quite out of control and apparently did pretty much as he liked. He decided to leave home, and after securing £7 in cash and a very fine German automatic pistol out of the house, secured a'' ' situation, through a labour agency, .with Mr D. Kellcher at fctautii-bi-idge. Mr Kellehcr did not like the look of the pistol and so one day-it disappeared. The boy decided to pay a visit to Burwood and on this occasion got. ■ away with a motor cycle and side car belonging to a man employed on his mother's farm, and a gun and some cartridges- On the way back to Southbridge he had some good sport, shooting a rabbit, which lie cooked and ate on the road. He reached Southbridge after some trouble with the machine and this time called at Mr G. Ridden's place. He was traced there by Constable" Moriarty, who., happened along as the lad was fixing up the bike ready for another spin. On the way to Christchurc^ he tried several ruses with a view to f^^igetting rid'of the constable's company, which, to him, was not at • r all, welcome. However, Constable Moriarty proved to be too experienced an officer to be caught napping- The lad appeared before a • magistrate and was committed-'to a receiving home for two years.

There is still much activity in the building trade at Leeston. Several new buildings are in course of erection. ,