COUPLE GAOLED

Hokitika Guardian, 27 October 1933, Page 7

COUPLE GAOLED

HUT WILFULLY SET FIRE TO. V ' ROTORUA, October 21 I , An unusual case w:i s brought before Mr S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Roto--1 rua Magistrate's Court to-day, when a ’ young single man, Bernard McCauley, aged 27, was charged on three counts of I I causing wilful damage by fire, whereby , two huts, the property of the National Timber Company, and valued at £4B, , j wei’e destroyed, together with the personal effects of William H. Manning i and Hugh Keaney, valued at £49 and I £29 respectively. ’ j Emily Brown, a. married woman, aged . 1 35, wa s charged with procuring Bor- | liard McCauley to commit wilful dam- | age by destroying by fire one of the | huts, valued at £24, thereby becoming i a party to the offence Both the accused, for whom Mr E. Roe appeared, pleaded guilty. Detective-Sergeant Thompson stated that McCauley was a farm hand, living in the vicinity of Mangarewa, where the huts were situated, a nd Mrs Brown lived near the same place. The femaJp accused, who had a grievance agains-t Manning, persuaded McCauley to set fire to Mannnig’s hut On the evening of October 14, while 'the men were away for the week-end, McCauley went to Manning’s hut. ■ broke a window, sprinkled a bottle of ' kerosene over the floor and threw in a lighted match. The result was that Manning’s hut and Keaney’s, which was next to it, were destroyed with their contents. When interviewed by tlie police. McCauley had admitted setting fire to Manning's hut. Mr Roe said that McCauley was not I of particularly strong intellect and had been influenced by the woman to com- | mit the offence. He was industrious a n d ' bore a good character. The magistrate sentenced both accused to reformative detention for a period not exceeding two years.