CAREER OF CRIME

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 440, 23 August 1928, Page 13

CAREER OF CRIME

From yesterday's Late F.ditioii.

THEFTS ON BOTH SIDES OF TASMAN YOUNG MEN’S BAD START Press Association. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Robert Lancaster Fairweather and George Lawson, both aged 22, were arrested on Saturday and appeared today in the Police Court charged with the unlawful conversion at Te Kuiti of a motor-car valued at £250. the theft at Wanganui and Waverley of benzine valued at £1 14s, the theft of a jack valued at £1 at Paekakariki, and the theft of an attache case and a two-gallon tin of benzine valued at £3 5s 6d at Hawera. It was* stated that Fairweather came to the Dominion in December, 1924, with a draft of Public School boys and was placed with a farmer at Apiti, but would not get out of bed and not work. The Immigration Department found him other positions. He appeared before the Court at Wanganui in December, 1928. and was sentenced to two months imprisonment for the conversion of a motor-car. He was convicted and discharged of a charge of vagrancy. Later he came to Wellington and was allowed to eleep in a furnished house. A serious robbery was committed here and Fairweather stowed away to Sydney, where he made the acquaintance of Lawson. Both travelled from Sydney to Melbourne where they were arrested on a charge of vagrancy. That charge was withdrawn, but in October. 1927, at Albury, they were fined £3O and £ls respectively in default four months imprisonment on two charges of converting cars to their own use. On March 13. of this year, they were sentenced to six months imprisonment at Albury for breaking and entering. They were discharged from Goulburn gaol this month, and stowing away on a steamer, arrived in Auckland last week. The ihefta in the present charges

were all made in connection with a. trip in a stolen car from Te Kuiti to Wellington. The Magistrate, Mr. E. Page, remarked that the police report was very unfavourable. They had evidently set out to live dishonestly. Six months imprisonment with hard labour was imposed on each of accused.