JURY DISBELIEVES STORY TOLD IN COURT

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5322, 7 February 1947, Page 4

JURY DISBELIEVES STORY TOLD IN COURT

WELLINGTON, last night. ; A surprise development occurred in the Supreme Court to-day in a case in which Henry Hedley Briant Maunder, labourer, aged 33, was charged with the theft of a wallet containing £11 10s. in notes, the property of Colin Richard Welsh. " ! After the Crown's evitlence had i been giVen, Mr. G. T. Kemp, for { aecused, said he proposed to put in j the dock the man who actually stole | the wallet. Counsel submitted ■ that this man, who was already a ' • prisoner on a theft cliarge, was | Leslie Scott. ! ' Scott, in evidence, said that on New i Year's Eve, when the offence occurred, ' he had attended a party at which ; aecused and others ^vere present. j When the party broke up h'e (Scott) i was the first to leave. He waitecLfor ; Welsh down the path. The rest of Ihe party eame down with Welsh at the back. j Scott added that he slipped his hand t into Welshrs hip pocket, took the j wallet, made an exouse, and left the ' party of people. j Scott was stated to be waiting deJ portation back to Australia as a pro- . hibited immigrant, and had a long j list ®f previous convictions, which was 1 produced in Court. j 'Summing up, Mr. Justice Cornish said that Scott must he one of the . most unreliahle men in Australia and ] New Zealand. •* i After retiring for two ' hours, the j jury returned a verdict of guilty. j Maunder was remanded for sentence.