THEFT ALLEGED

Evening Post, Issue 126, 29 May 1936, Page 11

THEFT ALLEGED

INCIDENTS IN HOTEL

Incidents that occurred yesterday morning at the.Columbia Hotel resulted in the appearance before Mr. E. D.'Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today, of John William Graves, alias Greaves, a labourer, aged 22 on a charge of stealing £1 17s 3d in money a pocket knife, and a wallet, of a total value of £2 4s 9d, the property of James Allison Kelly. The accused elected trial by jury and the evidence of one witness was taken. Sub-Inspector C. E. Roach conducted the prosecution.

James Allison Kelly, a company representative, said that he stayed at the Columbia Hotel. On May 28, about 5.45 a.m., he heard a noise in his' room, and saw. a man crouching at the foot of his bed. He chased him, but the man escaped up the stairs on to the second floor. Witness did not see the man in the corridor, but could hear him. A large silver-coloured electric torch produced in court was identified by witness as similar to. one in possession, of the accused in witness's room. As a result of inquiries, he went to room 28 and on the dressingtable saw the torch. Someone was in the bed with the blankets pulled over his head. Money in notes and silver amounting to about 35s was missing from witness's; pocket. . Later witness found out that a wallet and pocketknife were missing. He identified the wallet and knife produced as his. The last time he saw the wallet was a few days before, when lie put it in his suitcase. The knife had been in his. vest pocket. When in witness's'room, the man wore grey clothes and' had no shoes. At 3.20 a.m. yesterday he-at-tended an identification : parade of about nine men and picked out "the accused as the man who had been in his room.

The case was adjourned until June