THE PAEROA BURGLARY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4728, 23 July 1924, Page 2

THE PAEROA BURGLARY.

ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. A man named John Johnson, with seven aliases and a number of previous convictions, aged 48 years, a litter, who was remanded on Thunsday last in connection with .the Paeroa burglaries, was brought before Messrs W. Marshall and P. E. Branan, j’s.P,, at the Police Court, Paeroa, yesterday morning, and was charged with breaking and entering the busi * ness premises of Mr E. V. Sly field, mercer, Belmont Road, Paeroa, on July 15. and stealing therefrom clothing to the value of Jill 12s 6d, and also with breaking and entering the premises of Mr J. T. Wright, boot importer, and stealing a pair of tan bootc valued at £1 17s 6d. Detective F. Culloty conducted the case for the police, and accused was unrepresented by counsel. A plea of guilty to both charges was entered, and the two charges were taken together.

Kenneth Lincoln Slyfield, salesman, in evidence said that on the afternoon of July 14 his father left the shop about 4.30 p.m. and he left shortly alter 6 p.m., after carefully locking the uoors and windows in the premises. He did not know accused, and had given him uo authority to enter tiie promisee or take the goods. Ernest Victor Slyfield, mercer, identified the clothing produced as similar to that stolen from his shop. Witness said that he left the shop at 4.50 p.m., leaving his son in charge. Next morning, about 8 o’clock, on entering tne front door, his attention was di awn to a bolt of flannel and woollen sweaters disarranged on the floor of the ehop. Further examination revealed glass on the floor, in the rear of the premises, a top pane of a win--down broken, and the catch insecure. Entrance to the shop had evidently been gained through the back window, as both the frpnt and doors were, securely fastened. The window blind in the front of the shop had been pulled down to its full extent, apparentIj to screen the intruder’s operations. The accused was unknown to him. James Thomae Wright, boot importer, Paeroa, siad that his premises adjoined those of the previous witness, and entry had been obtained to liia sl'op in a similar manner. Witness stated that he left his shop at about 5.30 p.m., returning again at 8.30 p.m. to take some £9 in cash home with him. Everything then was apparently all right, and .the window and doors were locked securely. On opening the premises at 8 o'clock next morning he found some boots lying round the floor and broken glass ’D the rear of the building near his work bench. A pair of dark tan boots were missing. The boots (produced) were identified by witness as a pair from his stnek ; they happened to be a special brand. In ruiiswer to accused -witness said that no cash had been stolen, and the cash drawer, had not been tampered with. Florance Culloty, police detective, Hamilton, stated that at 4.20 a.m. pn July 16 he had arrested accused at Maramarua, where he was sleeping in an unoccupied hut on the roadside some thirty miles from Paeroa. When arrested accused was wearing some of the stolen property, and the remainder was tied up m a brown paper parcel which was used at, a pillow. After arrest accused admitted the presen* charges and made a clean breast of everything. AU the stolen property had been recovered. John McClinchy, -police constable, Paeroa, corroborated the evidence of the previous witness. Accused in a statement said that he had arrived from Hamilton at about 5 o’clock on the evening of July 14, and after having had tea at a fish-, shop he wandered round the streets all night. He stated that he was destitute of clothes and boots, carried no swag, and only had 4s 9d in his pocket. He had been trying to get work in Hamilton, but had been refused several joins because of his dilapidated appearance. Accused admitted the charges, and said that he had done so to save the police further trouble. After the thefts had been committed accused said that he had intended going through to Auckland, but owing to his feet getting sore with wearing the new boote he had put up for the night in the hut near Mara-. mama. He had not taken any money, and had only stolen the clothes so as to fit himself out, and by so doing inci enFe his chance of getting a job. Accused was committed for sentence to the Supreme Court, Auckland.