THEFT OF TIN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 106, 26 July 1927, Page 13

THEFT OF TIN

ON TRIAL PRISONER’S EVIDENCE CALLED CHARGED with the theft of ingots of tin valued approximately at £lO from Alexander Harvey and Sens, St. George’s Bay Road, Arthur Frederick Griffin, taxi proprietor, pleaded not guilty before Mr. Justice Herdman at the Supreme Court this morning. An alternative charge of receiving was also preferred. Mr. V. N. Hubble appeared for the j Crown and Mr. Matthews for the accused. Lindsay Anderson, warehouse man- j ager of the Farmers’ Auctioneering : Co., whose premises were situated at | the foot of St. George’s Bay Road, \ said that on February 24 he hap- ; pened to be working late and about 7 o’clock, noticed a car and two men on the road opposite. One of the men was making journeys to and from a toi-toi bush in a section opposite the car. The man was carrying something wrapped up in a sack which to him looked like pig iron. There was another man sitting at the wheel of the car. Witness took the number of the car—lo6l. SERVING A SENTENCE William Harvey, a member of the firm of Alexander Harvey and Sons, ironfounders, gave evidence that the ingots produced in court had been made in the moulds of his firm. William Caple stated that he was at present serving a sentence for the theft of tin from Harvey and Sons The first week in February was about the first occasion on which he had broken into the place. The ingots were taken on to an empty section near the Farmers’ Auctioneering Co., and later taken away in a car. He understood they were taken away in Griffin’s car. They were removed in the evening at about seven o’clock Griffin, the man in the dock, being with him at the time. NOT OUT AT NIGHT Evidence of the arrest of Caple and the statement made by accused, was given by Detective J. J. Robertson. Witness said that accused had stated that he did not use his car at nights and the only person who had authority to do so was another taxidriver named Tait. James Tait. a taxi-driver, stated that he had permission to use accused's car in the evenings. On account of a previous illness accused did not go out at nights, but went to bed at about seven o’clock. At no timo had witness used the car to remove or had he ever driven Caple. t Proceeding.)