COIN MOULDS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 103, 28 October 1933, Page 25

COIN MOULDS

ILLEGAL POSSESSION;

RUSSIAN GETS THREE YEARS

In the Supreme Court yesterday bofore Ms Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) ■ and a jury, George Sargiff was charged with having, in his possession on September 17, at Wellington, without! lawful authority or, excuso thrco moulds intended to make a resemblance to both sides of certain current coins", knowing the same to -be so. intended, contrary, to section 314 of the Crimes Act. . . . ■ ' . : ■ / Mr. P. S. K. Macassey appeared f6r the. Crown, and Mr. S. G. Stephensdn for the accused, who pleaded ■ not .guilty. .■ • ■■•'..:.. .Dennis GerondiSj proprietor of the Cafe do Luxe, Willis Street, said he had known. the accused for several years. He was in the habit' of coming to the cafe for meals. • Ho remembered the accused bringing a'tin-to the cafe. Witness acceded to his request to put the tin into the oven to bake it for several hours. Accused said the ■ tin contained moulds for dolls intended for exhibition. The-accused , came :back later,and took the tin away. On the following Sunday the accused returned With the same tin, and said the -mould was not cooked properly, and he wanted witness to bake the mould again. Witness asked the accused if there' were any dangerous: things in the mouldy and he replied that there were not: Detective Hayhurst said that as the result of information received he interviewed the, accused, being accompanied by Detective-Sergeant Hall. Ho told tho accused that he had come into the possession of moulds from the Cafe de Luxe. In reply to a question, the accused said ho got tho moulds from' a man named Bill. Further evidence was given by Detcctivo Hayhurst on the linos given by witness in the Magistrate's Court. MOULDS GIVEN TO POLICE. ■ . The evidence given in tho Magistrate's Court by Tomislav Mazaraniteh, who had been employed in the cafe, was read. Mazaraniteh said that on the second visit of tho.accused witness feared that the tins contained an explosive, and on finding that they contained moulds for making coins he took them to the police. He informed the police that they had been brought to the cafe by Sargiff. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. In the course of a plea for mitigation of sentence, Mr. Stephenson said that Sargiff was a Russian, and seemed to be totally out of touch with conditions in New Zealand. He was anxious to return to Russia. Under all tho circumstances, counsel thought it would-be a good.thing if, after a period of detention, tho accused were deported' to Russia. : His Honour said that a year ago the prisoner was convicted in Auckland of being in possession of explosives and bombs. " ■' Mr. Stephenson said ho was informed that tho explosives and bombs "were manufactured for fishing purposes, but it happened that they were found in the • possession of the prisoner shortly. after the Auckland.riots. ■■..>{■■ ■'■ ■■ ; Prisoner was-'sentenced tb" imprispnihent -with hard labour; for three ytjars.