THEFT OF LIQUOR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 535, 19 May 1933, Page 5

THEFT OF LIQUOR

maori qommittep ADMITS BREAKING AND ENTERING TOKAANU JJOTEL WHISKY AND ALE S'TOLEN A Maori, Hohepa Paurini, alias Joe Moon, appeared in the Taupo Magisirate's Court on Wednesday, charg'ed -with breaking and entering the har of* the Tokaanu Hotel and stealing four bottles of* whisky and three* bottles of ale of a total value of £3 14s. The accused pleaded guilty axxd was committed to the Supreme Court on bail for sentence. Messrs. R. H. Ward and R. F. Hutchins, J.'sP. were on the bench. . The first witness called by the police, Henry Asher, said thqt he was a barman employe'd at the Tokaanu Hotel. Following information received he yisited the hotel on May 13 last at' 11 p.m. arid found that the bar door had been forced open. The door was usually bolted but the catch holding t^e bolt was broken off and the. door left partly open. Four bottles of whisky which "he found to be missing were identical with the two .produced in court. He could not say if any beer was missing. The accused had been known to him for about three years and was. in the hotel during the afternoon of the occurrenee*. Accused's Admission Continuing the witness said that on discovering that the bar had been entered he immediately reported the matter and— at the Tokaanu police station he later heard the accused admit that he had broken into the bar.

William Butler, police constable at Tokaanu said that on Saturday evening, May 13, at aboxit 9.30 o'clock he met the accused in a street at Tokaanu. As Paurini approached him he saw two bottles sticking out of his overcoat pocket and took possession of th'ese. The two bottles were those produced in court. Accused also produced a bottle of beer and threw it on the side of the rpad. Witness said-that while he was pieking ,up this bottle accused ran towards the natiVe settlement and disappeared from view. The constable stated that at 11 p.m. the sarne night he located accused and conducted him to the police station, where he was interviewed in the presence of his father and a lieensed interpreter. Accused at first denied the charge, but later admitted that he had broken into the bar of Asher's Hotel. Accused was a stranger to the constable before the offence and showed signs of .having been drinking. A plea of guilty was entered by the accused and he was committefi. to the Supreme Court for sentence, bail being granted by the bench.