THEFT ADMITTED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 6

THEFT ADMITTED

* ^ Young Maori Remanded m tustody BROKE 0PEN GAS METER . Two young Maoris appearcd befort* Mr J. -Miiicr, .fcj.M., in the Napier Magistrate's Court this morning charged with theffc. To a charge of tho tbefc of a. pair of gumboots, a shaving mug and a . shaving- brush, vaiued ai 23/U, Ivan Ry der, of Westshore, laljourer, pleaded not guilty, and the information against him Was disxnissed William Waiiace, also of Westshore, aged 21, pleaded guilty \o the theft oi the articies mentionea and also to the theft of a key vaiued at 2/6, the thefl of 4/-» the property of the Napier Ga^' Company, and to wilful damage of a gas meter. He was remanded in custod^ unui Monday for the purpose of ou taining a report from the probation ohicer. Detcctive-Sergeant H. Nuttall said tbat the theft of the key was com mitttd when Wallace visited a man named Peter Chalmers in Eattery rojtd and stole the key to the whare ho oecupied. He later returned and stole from the gas meter the sum of foui shiJlings, which was then the property of Ihe Napier Gas Company. in com pany, it was alleged, with the accused Ryder, he visited the house of Mr T Hellier in Ossian street, and while Ryder waited outside accused stole the gumboots and the shaving outfit frotn a shed there. Callea against Ityder, Wallace said that he £ad not been in company witL him when he committed tho theft, and had arrived homo before him. Con stable Chalmers said that the statemen! differed from that given him at the police station by Wallace. In view of thi« the detective-sergeani stared that he did not propose to cai> any more evidenee, and the information was dismi-ssed. Mr Ai H. D. Mayne appeared for Wallace, and Mt C. W. Nash for Rvdei.