BREAKING AND ENTERING

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4421, 31 May 1922, Page 2

BREAKING AND ENTERING

TUEUA SHOP BAIDED. . thieves'Obtain little Mr. S, Mercer’s confectionery shoo, situated next to the Victoria Hall, Turua, was broken into on Monday evening. The thieves obtained little, the only, money on the premises being eighteen pennies, Which ajqe now About 20 packets of cigarettes and a few soft drinks are also among the missing articles. \ The raided shop is only a smalj, recently-erected building, about .20 ft by 14ft, built next to the Victoria Hafl for the convenience of the patrons athe various entertainments held at the hall. It has two doors, one at the front and one at the back of the building, and a couple of windows. ■Tiie thieves evidently ,at first ouied to enter ‘the premises by the front door, as it bore signs of a lever of some sort being used to prise thp door open at the lock. The bolt was bent and the clasp almost detachedThe raider or raiders must have found this means of .entering a biggest- . proposition than was at first expected, for they did not succeed at opening the door. The entrance was evidently made, via a window, for under the window at one end of the shop some steps belonging to the hall were found placed against the wall so that it would be easy to gain* access to the window. The sheet of gauze covering the window-'had been partly ripped off. and the glass and/ part of the frame broken sufficiently to enable the latch to be turned. It is not yet known how many wjjre concerned in the raid. It is thought that the ir * truder or intruders must have been disturbed, as so little was taken. The goods stolen are estimated by Mr. Mercer to be valued at £1 and the damage done at a similar amount. it is thought that-the premises wore broken open abp.ut 9.30 or 10 p.m. About that time Mrs. Reid, who lives . near .by, heard ainoise outside, but thinking it came from the hall she paid no further attention, to it. She was under the impression? that the usual Monday boxing classes were in progress, but as.it happened there were no classes that 7 evening. The discovery that the premises had been raided was made yesterday morning, when Constable J. M. Devereaux, resident at Kerepeehi, was immediately sent for/ Constable Devereaux has the matter in hand, but no further developments have so far been reported. . .