SET FIRE TO HOUSE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 203, 13 September 1937, Page 5

SET FIRE TO HOUSE

-Pres9 Association.)

Boy Wanted To Cover Up a Theft OFFENCES ADM1TTED

iVJ.v Telegraph

j .CHRISTCHURCH,"" Last Night. An extraordinary case .of a young boy setting flre to an occupied dwelling to cover up his theft of a gold, medal ' .valued at 15s was .revealed in the Children '3 Court pn Saturday morning. Mr, H. A, Z.oung, S.M7 presided. Three charges wero preferred against Jhe boy and involved the stealing of a bicycle .valued at £17 5s, breaking and entering the house from which he stole the medal, and setting fire to an eightxoomed house valued at £500. A plea of guilty was entered in each case, The police statement revealed Lthat the boy was 15 years of age and at prcsent under the guardianship of tthe State, He had heen licensed put to wprk in the country and on the day of the Springbok-South Canterbury match he entered a house some 200 cdd yards away when the pccupiers had gone off to the football match, He stole the medal and afterwards, when he saw traces of his gumboot marks on the premises, set fire to some papers, which resulted in the house being burned to the ground and the whole of the contents of the house being destroyed. The cycle was stolen later and had been recovered. Counsel for the accused said it appeared that special cireumstances made it difficult to manage the boy. The whole of the crimes, he said, had arisen from one series. The boy had burnt the house to cover up his theft and had then stolen the bicycle in order to get home to his mother. "There are special cireumstances connected with this boy," observed Mr. H. A. Young, S.M., in announcing that the boy would undergo a special examination and that he would he returned to the D.epartment, v