ROBBERY UNDER ARMS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 January 1929, Page 3

ROBBERY UNDER ARMS

WESTFIELD HOLD-UP. ACCUSED BEFORE COURT. (By Telegraph—Press Association). AUCKLAND, January 7. Robbery under arms was alleged against David Mackenzie Stewart, aged 27, and Roy Patrick Kitching, aged 20, who were committed to the Supreme Court for trial after the preliminary hearing of evidence in the Police Court, when accused were charged on several counts arising out of the sensational armed hold-up at Westfield in the early horn’s of the morning of November 27. Joint charges of having robbed Sam ucl Henderson, his wife, Grace A. Hen dersou and George A. Holland, wen preferred against accused, while the, were also charged with having assault ed Leonard M. Manson and Robert E. Malison with intent to rdb.

A further charged alleged the disharg,iiig of a revolver with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Henry B. Fletcher and his brother Percy, and Douglas S. Wallace. Accused were als > jointly charged with obtaining from George R. Walsh, manager of Hutchinson Bros, general merchants, Newmarket, £5 with a valueless cheque, in November. Stewart was charged withobtaining £6 11s credit by fraud from Sincetings Ltd., general providers and £l2 .14s credit by fraud from Hutchinson Bros. A further charge, against Stewart was of obtaining £23 7s 6d from Miss Winnie Turner) clerk of the City Hotel, with a valueless cheque. Pleas of not guilty to all the charges were made by each accused. According to the evidence, a party of jockeys wore returning to Ellerslie from To lvuiti races, and in the early morning their car was held up at the revolver point by two men, who roboed them and drove away in the victims’ car. While pursuing the men, Fletcher and Wallace, who had ridden up a few minutes' later on a motor cycle, were startled by a revolver shot from the car containing the two men, whom they had set out to catch. The car and cycle were travelling at high speeds, but owing to a puncture which immediately followed the firing of tho gun, the speed of the cycle was reduced, and the men in the car got away.

lii a .statement, Stewart said lie was an American, having left his country for Australia about a year ago. At the end of October last lie left Melbourne accompanied by Kitelling for Auckland, with £IOO. He boarded at the City Hotel for four days,and then they both rented a house in Epsom. Stewart suited that the overdrawing of his bank account caused them to decide upon the hold-up as a means of getting more money. “So we went out to the Great South ltoad on Sunday and selected a place for a hold-up,” lie said. Continuing bis statement, lie said that armed with two guns and carrying two masks, they had made out of black stockings, they drove in a car which they hired from a city garage, to Westfield, on Monday night. After describing how they put obstructions on tile road near a deviation, Stewart said; “We waited there for some time, and cars came along and stopped at tile barricade. When the cars stopped at the obstruction, neither of us had the courage to accost the drivers. Finally, however, a car came along containing five people, and wo decided we might l>e able to cope with them. 1 climbed on one running board and Kitehing got on the other, and we made them drive up the road a hit and stop at a stonecnisher, where we ordered them out and got them to remove their coats and vests, which were put in tin* back of the ear. AVe then drove away, after telling them j

that we would leave their car a short distance up the road.” When they had driven along the road, Stewart continued, lie left Henderson’s car and got the hired one, while Kitehing searched the clothes in Henderson’s car. Then they saw a motor cycle

coming, whereupon they hurried away. Kitehing had told Stewart that the revolver went off accidentally when the motor cycle was approaching, and he did not mean to shoot.

A statement made by Kitehing placed the blame for the hold-up o t n Stew a rt. ]!otli accused pleaded not guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for trial.