FIRE IN SHOP

Southland Times, Issue 21093, 27 May 1930, Page 7

FIRE IN SHOP

OWNER BEFORE COURT. ALLEGED WILFUL ACT. (Per United Press Association.) New Plymouth, May 26. As a sequel to a fire in a car painter’s shop at Eltham on January 10, Robert Thomson was charged with wilfully setting fire to his shop and alternatively with wilfully setting fire to substances in the shop, krtowing that the building was likely to be set on fire by those substances. He pleaded not guilty.

The Crown Prosecutor referred to the discovery of the fire and emphasized the fact that accused, who was in partnership with a brother, was in straitened financial circumstances. The brother owned the property and building, but there were two mortgages on it. They had £3OO unsecured debts and were being pressed for the overdue interest on the second mortgage and also by some of the creditors. The accused was made bankrupt about a fortnight after the fire. It was.stated that the financial position was so bad that the telephone and electric light services had been cut off because the fees had not been paid. Counsel suggested that from the point of view of insurance, a successful fire would have been a godsend for the accused. There was a policy of £560 on the building, £220 on the plant, £lOO on the stock, £lOO on work in hand, totalling £9BO. On the day of the fire, accused had purchased a tin of benzine. After the fire an empty tin was found near the front door. The fire was discovered in several parts of the building simultaneously. The fire actually did little damage. In a statement to the police, Thomson had said he had been using benzine to clean a car. He left work, but noticing the parking lights burning on the car, returned to turn them off. He struck a match and an explosion occurred. The case for the defence has not yet begun.