FEMALE SHOPLIFTERS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2304, 19 July 1921, Page 2

FEMALE SHOPLIFTERS

SENT TO' GAOL,

At the Palmerston S. M. Court yesterday, Ada Brothers, Ada Prouse, Nellie Buick and Margaret Conlin appeared on remand, charged with the theft of’ goods froiif various emporiums in’ Palmerston North on Saturday last.

It was quite apparent, said the Senior Sergeant, that the women had embarked on an organised shoplifting expedition. Numerous complaints had been received front the drapers, who had lost many pounds worth of goods during the recent “sales.”

It was apparently one of those episodes, said Mr Ongley, by otherwise respectable women, for which it was impossible to account, Mrs Conlin was 75 years of age, and what she was going to do with six pairs of men’s sox il was difficult t© imagine. It was possible that they had had sufficient drink to make them reckless. In the circumstances, and from the fact that they had hitherto lived respectable lives, he submitted that the Magistrate should extend the provisions of the First Offenders’ Probation Act.

The Magistrate said that it was a difficult matter to know what to do, but lie did not think he would be doing his duty, however painful it might he, if he regarded the offences as venial ones. It was not a case of sudden, violent temptation. The defendants seemed to have visited all the shops together, where something or other was stolen. There was a large amount of cargo pillaging and shop-lifting prevalent at present, and defendants would have to suffer a term of imprisonment. On each of the charges the defendants were convicted and sentenced in 14 days’ imprisonment with hard labour, and in addition defendant Vila Prouse was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard iobour for flic theft of the articles valued at £2 (is 7d taken from .the Premier Drapery Company, and defendant Ada Brothers was also sentenced to a similar term in re•pect of the articles she admitted raking from the same firm. All the sentences were made concurrent.