THEFT OF PETROL

Evening Star, Issue 24288, 1 September 1942, Page 2

THEFT OF PETROL

COUNSEL SUGGESTS TRIVIAL CHARGE ■Stressing the trivial nature of the charge and expressing the opinion that, had the accused held higher rank than that of private, the matter would have been dealt with by the military authorities, Mr C. .1. L. White appealed successfully for the suppression of the name of a middle-aged man who pleaded guilty in the Police Court this morning to the theft of two gallons of motor spirit, valued at ss, the property of the New Zealand Government. Detective-sergeant Hall, who prosecuted, said that the accused owned a motor car for which ho was entitled to ligal of motor spirit. This was apparently insufficient for his needs, and he syphoned two gallons from two Army motor cycles in a camp, hiding the tin under his bunk. The theft was discovered. the spirit removed from the tin and water substituted, the tin then being replaced, after which the accused had it put in his car. The theft, said Mr Hall, was considered to ho a serious one, as the cycles from which the spirit had been removed had ceased to function during manoeuvres. The Army authorities had issued instructions that all thefts of Army stores should bo dealt with by the police. Mr White said that accused had taken the spirit in order to run out to an outlying district where he had business interests, and, judging by the rumours one hoard regarding the waste of petrol in military camps, the matter might well have ibeen dealt with by court martial instead of subjecting a man with an unblemished record to the publicity of the police court. Had accused been of higher rank, counsel suggested, the matter would have been so dealt with.

The magistrate (Mr H. J. Dixon) convicted accused and ordered him to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months. In view of accused’s past good record, an order would bo made for the suppression of his name.