POCKET-PICKING SUSPECTED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1818, 25 April 1918, Page 3

POCKET-PICKING SUSPECTED.

MAN WORTH £2,000 ARRESTED.

A man who claims to he worth something over £2,000 was arrested among the crowd at the Auckland Opera House on Saturday night, on the unusual charge that, being a reputed thief, he frequented a public place with felonious intent. The accused man, who gives the nam<? of George Garrick, was observed by Plain-elothes Constable McHugh to fall into the queue of people waiting to buy tickets tor the performance, to tall out of line when close to the ticket box and to again take a place in the queue further back, and again drop out whetl he had pushed up near the box once more. This behaviour, coming on top of other matters causing Garrick to be suspected of pocket-picking, resulted in his arrest. He then had on him £l6O in cash, and securities for banked sums of over £2,000. When brought before Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., he was charged as Garrick, alias James W. Walker (34), and when Mr W. Haekett applied on his behalf for bail, the police having asked for a week’s remand, CfitT**' Detective McMahon opposed the application for bail. The Chief Detective stated that from papers found on accused and statements made by him the police had reason to believe that he had not been truthful with the military authorities, and intended 1° shirk his military obligations. Further, so far as the police knew, accused had done no work since 1914, and ye| he had in some way got together a sum of about £2,000. His Worship remarked that on the charge accused was not bailable, as of right, and he did not feel inclined to grant bail while the police opposed it on the grounds stated, Accused would he remanded for a week-, "bail not being allowed meantime. '