COURT NEWS

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 92, 3 October 1938, Page 1

COURT NEWS

THEFTS FROM CARAGE MAORI CAUGHT RED-HANDED COMMITTED TO SUPREME COURT Three witnesses were called to give evidence on behalf of the police .in connection with charges of breaking and entering and theft of money and an electric torch, against a Maori Popo Mokomoko, aged 21, at the Opotiki Police Court on Friday afternoon. The case was Conducted by. Sergeant J. I«- ' bister on behalf of the police, and Mr S. Hei appeared, for the accused. The money and torch alleged to have been stolen was the property of ML 0. Kidd Ltd. and Mr C. H- Flem-

ing. The first witness. Mr. C. H. Flemsnicl, secretary ofr the firm of M. 0. Kidd Ltd. said lie left the premises at 8 p.m- on the. 28th. September and lie was the last person to leave the building. Everything was secured and locked. The windows wore fixed and could not lie opened. On the following morning when he arrived at work he was told something hy the foreman and made •an examination of the premises. He examined the sale and drawers' where money ivas kept and found that the foreman’s desk in the workshop had been' broken open by removing part of the lock. Nothing was- stolen from this drawer. In the other office the petty cash till had been opened and loose cash taken from it. There should have been 1.3 s— d h 1 this draw but there was only a penny left. The door had a sliding cash drawer at fue bottom and a lid on the top. It was possible to lift the lid and reach' into the drawer. Ihe recording roll in the till had been .slightly damaged. Underneath the petty cash drawer there was another drawer with values in it. This was not touched and was locked. It contained a- few pounds. In witness’ own office a drawer had been opened and money taken out —LI 3s. This was the full extent of the loss as far as va.s

known.' I Hr J- E. Ross, foreman for 31. 0. .Kidd Ltd* stated that when he arrived at 1 work on the 29th. inst. lie noticed a lock on the drawer had been undone by a screwdriver. There was an open space at the top of the workshop hack door. This would he about a, foot wide and it would be possible for someone to set through. At the request of Sergeant isbister he had stayed the following night with Constable Rathie on the premises, waiting in darkness. At about. midnight Constable. Rathie told him he had seen a .shadow, of someone on the hack door. Soon afterwards he heard a spring on the connecting door to the showroom being opened. I waited a few seconds and saw a man come round the corner of' the office door. 'Phe man had. a' torch in his hand but it was not ‘Vswitched on:Witness called out to the mnKttr'stpp ■ where he was but the riia'itJiolteT nnxl they had a chase among constable went afteivllinp ears and when the* " witness caught him/ “‘Thef'VuJnrisitiible searched the of Cl 18s 8d in his. Cross-examined by (MrjkHOi, said the accused admitted'; he. .'ha^ been in the garage tlio nighty said he had been tp-.t^ ? He was with KururangKamV alg*, ho left him went to ill ■ Constable W- R. on the evening of. 29tlu; secreted himself tvith '.3|r''ißossj. : ,ln7yM' l! r«i cir o office. Later he saw fefcunsll man^walking dowith'tKo^fte^yay''d he appeared to be ndAtaori. ■' llian disappeared '.heliuuT and soon aftrrwar&C i fc’ffrd :1 ,!:,:sc at the liaclff'.'.Ulbor'./AlfOUt two or three' minutes/ltrter accused appeared in At 1 i o'. l ‘M\ c.e-y 3 ofe W ay. 31/ ]?„ss called out/.'.to there, but the the hack ef the gai'ctg*g.;;^TK(A'',i‘l(df | ToXvod and Air •Ross switched : dhO\'g^'i^gO ! r : ligb ts on. The accnsi'd-,rar : f''hohiitd jjfcrt.Bfc.cars and witness wofritv <ifter. v hiip-.wAcfeused ran out into tlfe,: amtf's'?■' Ml*' w,, ° held him. . ~ A ceiiSed'iAbM6l t *o resistance. He hacT’ a band. Witness toojc ther>tore]i:-f>o^i : .liim and ran his hands /over.. , bint tynud then asked him whg heypvak. accused told him -and; alsapfrtJßlfa f.ljeidived ‘»i

Church Street. Witness brought the accused to the police station and told him lie would be charged with breaking and entering. The accused made no reply. Witness then searched him and found the sum of £1 18s Bd' in liis possession. Witness then warned him that he did not need to make a statement unless he desired but that if he did make one it would be taken down m writing and used as evidence at bis trial- Accused said lie would make a statement. Constable Ratliie then read the statement in which accused said he went to the garage and climbed over the door. Ho had searched for money. He found a torch and took money from a till. In another office he found more money. He went out the same way as he got in. The next night lie again went to the pictures with J. Akurangi. Afterwards he went to the garage and got iii again and took off his shoes. He saw two men in the office and tried to run away but got -caught. To Sergeant Isbistcr, witness said that he asked the accused if the moi\ey found on him was some that lie had* stolen from the garage and he said it was. Accused was in stockinged feet >n the garage and. his shoes were found |about ten feet from the showroom db’or.if.

Through Mr Hei the accused pleaded guilty to the charges and said he did not wish to make a- statement. The accused was committed to the Auckland Supreme Court for sentence. In commenting on the thefts the bench complimented the police on the smart arrest and said they had probably prevented further potty thieving.