GIVEN A CHANCE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 108, 29 December 1931, Page 5

GIVEN A CHANCE

thieving from cars TWO HALF-CASTE MAORI " BROTHERS BEFORE COURT LEADING GAY LIFE it Two half-caste Maori brothers, Sidney and William Davies, appeared in the Rotorua Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, charged on separate CQunts with thefts from cars. Both pleaded guilty, and was dealt with summarily hy the Magistrate, Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M. j. William Davies, the younger of the pair, was charged with the theft of an overcoat, valued at £10, "the property of Cyril Leslie Dentice, and on a second charge, with the theft of a rug valued at £3 10s, the property of some person unknown. Sidney Davies was charged with being found drunk at the entrance to the Geyser Hbtel, Whaka, and with fche theft of an overcoat valued at £2 5s, the property of some person unknowa. Senior-Sergeant Carroll, for the police, said that the aeeused were brothers, who had come to Rotorua eight or nine months ago from the King Country. They had been baching in the town and doing casual work in the meantime. Coat Recognisefl Mr. Dentice, who had been a guest at the Geyser Hotel, had had a new leather coat stolen from his car, and had reported the matter to the police. Last week, when in the vicinity of ;he hotel, Constables Kelly and Biown had noticed the aeeused William Davies, wearing a coat answcring to the deseription of that stolen from Mr. Dentiee's car. When questioned. the aeeused had stated that he had obtained the coat from a man at Arapuni, but on being taken to the police station had finally admitted that he had stolen it. In connection with the other charges, Mr. Humphreys, a solicitor from Napier, had reported that he had had a coat and a rug stolen from his car which had been prised open. Mr. Humphreys had since left Rotorua, but when Sidney Davies had been arrested on a charge of druhkmess he had admitted stealing a rug answering to the deseription of that vemoved from Mr. Humphrey's car. The other brother, William, had admitted stealing a second coat, which also answered the deseription of Mr. Humphrey's stolen property. Leading Gay Life The brothers were part owners in x car and had been spending a lot of time in dance halls and drinking freely. They were both plausible /oung fellows who had had a fair education. They had been reared at Great Barrier Island and had finally Irifted to Rotorua. They had been iving a rather gay life, and had been under suspicion for some time in conuection with petty thieving. This class of offence was particu•arly difficult to detect, and left a very bad impression upon visitors to a town like Rotorua. He submitted that a ;harp term of imprisonment should be imposed rather than probation. Decent And Hard- Working Mr. M. H. Hampson, who appeared for the two aeeused, said that this was the first occasion on which they had been in trouble of any sort. The brothers had been brought up with their father at Waimiha, where they had worked on bush contracting, Together with a third brother they had acquired a car, and it was after they had brought the car to Rotorua that the trouhle had Teally started. They had arrived here about Easter and worked on a contract on the Wairoa Road. Their employer spoke well of them and their previous reputation had been that of decent hardworking men. However, after the arrival of the car, their morale had been sapped by too mueh drink. The car, together with the drink, had meant that their work had been only only casual, and it had been as a result of drinking bouts that they had committed the offenees to which they had pleaded guilty. William, the younger boy, stated that after one of these drinking parties, he had been sitting in a car which he had thought was his own. As he was feeling cold, he had picked up a coat which he thought was his own property, and put it on. Afterwards, when he diseovered the mistake, he was frightr ened to bring it baek, and kept it— an act which, of course, amounted to straight out theft. The same thing had occurred with regard to the other thfifts. *

Little Unfair Mr. Hampson submitted that it was a little unfair of the sergeant to say that the aeeused had previously been under suspicion for there was not a tittle of evidence to support this. In the past they had been decent, hardworldng young men, and, he submitted were entitled to the henefits of the First Offenders' Act. They had proposed starting back to work with their father at Waimiha, when they had become involved in a last drinking bout on Christmas Eve. He submitted that a course of imprisonment, at this stage in their lives, might have the effect of converting them into thorough wasters, whereas if they were given a chance, they would reform. They both felt their position very keenly, and he felt sure, would never offend again. "I am not sure that these offenees do not require a term of imprisonment, both from their nature, and in order to act as a deterrent to others," stated the Magistrate. "However, as these two yonng men appear to have led reasonably decent lives in the past, I will take the view that their lapse has been a recent oue and has been due to drink. Under these circumstances, I think I will he justified in placing them on strict probation. They will each be admitted to a term of two years' probation on the usual terms, but with the speeial conditions that they both take out prohibition orders, permanent for natives, that they return forthwith to their father at Waimiha, and continue to reside with him nntil authorised to live elsewhere by the Probation Offieer, and further that within a term of "one j month, they each pay a fine of £10."