ASSAULT AND ROBBERY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 420, 31 July 1928, Page 16

ASSAULT AND ROBBERY

YOUTH S WILD TALE “DEAD WOOD DICK” READER (Special to THE SUN) NEW PLYMOUTH, Monday. With a wild tale of having been assaulted and robbed, Charles Edward Simmons, a reader of “Deadwood Dick” stories, telephoned the New Plymouth police a few nights ago. To-day he pleaded guilty in the Police Court to a charge of stealing money and property valued at £2 5s lid from a house at Rahotu. Accused, who worked for Mr. Albert Bettridge, of Rahotu, was left at home one night to look after two small children while Mr. Bettridge and his family attended a dance. About 9.15 p.m. Constable Brench’ey received a telephone message from the accused saying ‘he had been assaulted by someone. He had a big lump on his head. Accused said he heard a noise in the front of the house, which he thought came from one of the children. He was going into the front room when he was struck on the head and he was stunned. When he recovered he telephoned to the police. A search of the house showed that two rooms had been ransacked, and that a £1 note and other articles were missing. Next day marks of a horse’s hoofs were seen near the house, and it was reported a horse had been heard galloping along the road. Subsequently accused admitted having stolen the £1 note, which he burned, while he had hidden the other articles. Counsel for the accused said accused had bumped his head when going to the front room and was stunned. He was a reader of “Deadwood Dick” stories and had invented his tale to cover the thefts. As accused had been in custody over the week-end. counsel suggested he should be convicted without penalty. An application for the suppression of accused’s name was refused, and he was ordered to repay the £1 he had destroyed.