A THEFT CHARGE

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1928, Page 6

A THEFT CHARGE

GIRL PLEADS GUILTY

PATHETIC STORY IN COURT,

WELLINGTON, Oct. 24

A pathetic story of a girl engaged tobe married succumbing to the temptation of theft in order to buy her trousseau'was told in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when a tailoress, aged 21, was charged with stealing a, handbag containing twelve diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby rings, a- gold medal and a £5 note. The total value of the stolen property, which belonged to Mrs Jane Zissman, a second-hand, dealer, of Taranaki Street, was stated to lie £142. Mrs Zissman gave evidence that about noon on September 2oth. she left her shop for a few minutes, and on her return found that the bag was missing from the top of the counter. On October 3rd. the hag was returned to her by the police. The rings were not in it. She identified eleven rings (produced) as being part of the stolen property. Three stones (also produced) belonged to- the twelfth ring. There was a diamond missing from one of the other rings. i Dctecive W. M’Lennan described an interview with accused, who frankly admitted taking the bag. She said that she had left the bag in a cloakroom and bad sold six of the rings to pawnbrokers, receiving £7 5$ for them. She removed the stones from one of the other rings and threw the ring away. Witness and Detective Jarrold went with accused to pawnbrokers’ shops and recoverd six rings. Five rings and three stones were found in accused’s room. Accused gave him every assistance. Her solicitors had undertaken to make restitution of £7 ,5s and to pay the £3 5s required to. make a, ring and replace the missing diamond:" Asking for suppression of accused’s name, Mr Leicester said that since her father’s death two months ago she had been the sole support of her mother and a young brother. She was engaged to he married in the near future and had gone into the shop to buy a pair of evening shoes. Seeing a bag on the counter, and thinking that it might contain money, which would help her buy her trousseau, she had yielded to a sudden impulse and stolen it. She had not previously been before the Court. The application was granted hy Mr Page, S.M., and accused, who had pleaded guilty, was committed to the Supreme; Court for sentence, i