POLICE COURT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4306, 19 August 1921, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

THE RECENT THEFTS. ACCUSED PLEADS GUILTY. At the Police Court yesterday, before Messrs G. Wilson and A. Tetley, .J.’sP,, John McLean was charged wi,th the theft of a brief-bag and contents, the property of Grey ThorneGeorge ; a brief-bag, containing £l2 2s 6d and other property, belonging ■to Walter Workman, and alsp .entering the railway station at Paeroa and stealing a bag belonging to the N.Z. Railways.

Senior-Sergeant O’Grady prosecuted and Mr Montague acted on behalf of accused.

J. Hunt, miner, residing in Berry Road, Waihi, said accused was a room-mate at the same boardinghouse. On the Bth they left for Te .Aroha. On arriving they went to the Palace Hotel, from there to the Hot Springs, and later to the Grand Hotel. They .then went out to' the quarry at Waiorongomai in a car to look for work. Returning to Te Aroha they had lunch, and witness left by the afternoon train. Accused did no.t leave by the train. He heard accused come home in the morning, but did not speak to him. He w.as present n the hous.e next day when the accused was arrested. Witness identified several hats that the constable took out of the room.

To Mr Montague : They had about ten .whiskies in Te Aroha in the space of three hours. He .could not say what condition accused was in. He always found accused a decent son of fellow and not prone to thieving. He put down accused’s lapse to a drunken escapade.

To the Sergeant: They both left to catch the train, and he thought that accused ha*d caught the train, They were not exactly sober, but were no; drunk.

Waiter Workman, barman at the Palace Hotel, said that at about 4.30 oxi the Sih inst. he put his hand-bag in his room. The bag contained £l9 2s 6d, He identified the bag and the money produced by the sergeant. The bag also .contained a wallet and a number of other items/ including two soldier’s badges. He missed the' bag at. about 7.45 at night, and also missed a hat. -He saw the accused in the private bar at about 4.30, and served him with one drink. He .was not drunk then, or he would not ..have served him with liquor.-

To Mr .Montague : In witness’ opinion accused was not drunk.

Edward Hunter, barman employed at the Palace Hotel, said he was oft duty between 3.30 and 4.30, and went into his room, which he snared wish Mr 't Workman. He remembered seeing the face of accused, but could not say at what time. He went into the room again about 7.30 and found his hat missing and was informed that another hat and bag were missing. His room was on the ground floor, and there were othex* bedrooms adjoining.

Grey Thorne-George, farmer, residing Te Aroha, said he was in Te Aroha on the Bth inst. At 5.30 he had a brief bag in his possession, and either left it on the hall-stand or the mantelpiece. He recognised the bag and consents, valued at about £B. He informed the police aftei' he heard that other thefts had been committed. He had never seen accused before. George Smith, fruiterer, Te Aroha, said that on the Bth inst he went to tea in “Bonnie "Cfien” boardinghouse, leaving -his hat on '.the rack. In searching for his hat he came across' two. others. in the back yard. The matter was reported to the police. He recognised one .of the hats produced as being his. W. S. McFarland, porter at Paeroa Railway Station, said that at 9.15 p.m. he was standing in front of Montrose boardinghouse. He heard a crash of glass and the fa.ll of a piece of iron on asphalt. He went ovex* to the station and found that a window of the store-room had been broken, and a gangway hand-rail laying outside of the wifidow. He heard somebody running across the cars. He then rang up the police, and afterwards found a heavy dress case lying outside the window of the store room. Later he found the top window down, and also heard receding footsteps. He had locked the window before six o’clock. The window had been broken and the catch pushed back. In company with Constable McClinchy he found a. bag in the yard. He recognised the bag produced as being the one he had put in the room on the Bth. He also recognised accused as being the person* who got off 'the 7 pm. train with three Accused appeared to know what he was doing. To Mr Montague : He recognised accused as being a person seen talking to railway men before. Accuse! came in the end room and asked where he could get a jigger from. He was told that he could not get any,: and in reply said that he would ; "pinch” one.

Mr Montgomery: If I produce two witnesses who would •swear that accused was drunk before committing theft, would you deny it ? Witness: Well. I would say they arc very poor judges, Leonard Cullimoro. farm labourer, said he" arrived by the Frankton-Pae-roa train. He. had two bags and gave them to a porter. He valued the bags and contents at £lO. He recognised one of the bags which was produced as being his.

Edward Shaw, engineer’'' assistant, ■said Chat he found a bag near the To Aroha bridge. He recognised the. bag produced, which had been slashed open. He handed the bag to the police. Constable John McClinchy said that on receiving a ’pbione message he wen* to the railway station to Investigate. He found a pane of glass in the window of the store-room broken and the sash pulled right down. He saw a travelling box outside lying on the asphalt. With Porter McFarland he made a search of the yard and found a suit-case. At about ten o’clock he saw accused in a mota> car. The accused told him he had left his bags in Mrs Hill’s and rang up for the taxi-car. Accused said be

had been to the pictures, where he remained all the time until picked up by Williams. When accused .left for Waihi he had 'the two bags (produced) with him. To Mr Montague: Accused spbke quite rationally' and did not appear to have had a heavy day.

W. Williams, taxi-driver, said".that he received a telephone message and came* down to Paeroa and drove accused out to Waihi. Accused appeared to be all right, but showed signs that he had been drinking. He knew accused by sight. In reply to Mr Montague witness said accused looked a bit dopey when he saw him. ' Senior-Sergeant O’Grady detailed the circumstances which led up to the arrest of the accused and the finding of £l9 2s 6d and the bags and hats. Acctised gave every assistance in recovering the money and bags, and was quite frank in his statements.

Constable Whiting gave corrobaJ:ive evidence.

Mr . Montague asked to be allowed to call evidence as to accused’s condition on the night of the Bt.i inst,, which was granted. Ellen Elizabeth Hill, shop assistant, said that she remembered the accused coming into the shop at about 7.15, and asking if he could ring up to Waihi to get a car. Accused was well under the influence of liquor and looked as if he was not in his right senses. Annie McLean; wife of the .accused, said that she had been married for three years and had two children. She lived at Huntly. Accused had always supported her well and been kind and good to her and his children. He had never been in trouble before. Efrink was his failing, and he was not capable of looking after himself when drinking.

Accused pleaded guilty to all-the charges, and was committed *0 the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was applied for, but the sergeant objected, stating that he hoped to get the accused before the Supreme Court on Tuesday next.