“WORSE THAN PETTY THEFT”

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1929, Page 3

“WORSE THAN PETTY THEFT”

BICYCLE STOLEN BY SMALL

DEALER

PALMERSTON NORTH, August 21. “This ought to be a. lesson to you to leave other people’s property alone,” said Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court this morning in convicting Robert Sorenson of theft and sentencing him to 14 day’s imprisonment with hard labour. Sorenson made a voluntary/ appearance, on a charge of having on April 8 stolen a bicycle valued at £ll, the property of John Camming Watt. The cycle had been taken from the passage way of the Grand Hotel, stated Senior Detective Quirke. He and Detective Russell had. visited accused’s house and found a front wheel and a pair of cycle forks, which accused said he had .bought from a man he had met in the street. He did not know his name or address. Later accused produced the frame and said that he had found it along with the wheel and forks in a vacant section at the back of tne hotel. The other parts of the bicycle were still missing. J. C. Watt and A Cooksley, cycle dealers, identified the parts as belonging to the missing cycle.

Accused stated he had found the parts in the section, and admitted he did wrong in taking them. He did not know why he had lied to the police in the first place, In reply to a question from the bench he admitted that he did carry on a small business with cycles, and sometimes put them together.

The Magistrate: Don’t you think it is rather strange that you of all people should find this bicycle—you who make a business of putting bicycle parts together? What were you doing in this out-of-the-way place? Accused: I just happened to be going along. Mr Stout: You are convicted of the theft of the bicycle. I don’t know where you nut the other part I ——there is no doubt but that you had them.

In imposing the sentence of 14 days’ imprisonment, the. Magistrate commcnte 1 that the theft was worse than the petty theft of a,, cycle from the street, as accused wap something of a dealer.