"AN ACTIVE THIEF"

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1932, Page 12

"AN ACTIVE THIEF"

TWO CHARGES ADMITTED

"This man started his career in 1915, when he was punished for mischief," said Mr. T. B. McNeil, S.M., at the Police Court to-day when Morvyn John Cudby, a labourer, aged 30, pleaded guilty to stealing a suitcase and contents valued at £12 15s 9d and a quantity of material valued at £2, the property of E. Hannah and Go, "His offences become progressively worse—• theft, breaking, entering and theft and being in possession of explosives with intent to commit a crime."

Detective-Sergeant Eevell said that the accused was a bootmaker by trade, and for the- past two or three years had been employed by Hannah and Co. On 4th February detectives executed a search warrant at the accused's homo in Alpha street and found the articles mentioned' in the charges. The accused admitted that he had stolen the goods from Hannah's, and said lie had taken the suitcase from the Lambton Railway Station. Mr. Bevell said the accused was regarded as quite an active thief.

i Counsel for the accused said that I Cudby had not had very much leniency ['extended to him in the past. During the last three years he had been looking after his father and young ■brother, and had done his best to live a decent life. Counsel asked Mr. McNeil to inflict the lightest penalty possible to give him a chance to puil himself together.

"He is not a fit subject to try and experiment with," said the Magistrate, who sentenced Cudby to six months' imprisonment on the charge of stealing the suitcase. On the charfie relating to the theft, from Hannah's he was convicted and discharged: