CAT BURGLAR’S’ EXPLOITS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 695, 21 June 1929, Page 1

CAT BURGLAR’S’ EXPLOITS

Bought Car With Forged Cheque FULL CONFESSION TO POLICE AUCKLAND’S diminutive "cat burglar,” Reginald Gordon Cotterill, aged 23, who was arrested last night, has made a full confession of his exploits to the police. Although lie broke into about 20 different offices throughout the citv his total haul in cash amounted to only £6. ' * Several blank cheque forms were stolen from an office in the Victoria Arcade and with one of these the "cat” forged a cheque and purchased a Chandler motor-ear from a garage in the city. A revolver which he stole from the office of Brookfield. Prendergast and Schnauer, solicitors, Shortland Street, was hidden in a Queen Street picture theatre.

'J'HE "cat” raider was arrested by Detective K. W. Mills last evening at about 7 o'clock. He was found hidden in a lavatory in Short’s Buildings in Queen Street. For the past week a large number of detectives and plain clothes constables have been patrolling blocks of offices in the city, principally those which had not been raided by the “cat.” It was thought that he would visit these in the belief that he would not be caught because he had so successfully eluded the police. When Detective Mills approached the young man he told such a plausible story that the officer almost believed him. However, the “cat’s” actions were suspicious aud when the detective found an electric torch in the young man’s pocket he immediately took him to the police station, where the arrested man made a full confessions of his exploits, all of which have been fully described in The Sun for the past fortnight. "Why did you do this?” a police official asked the “cat” after he had been arrested. “Because I was hard up and out of a job,” was the reply.

In his confession the young man said that he had arrived from Whangarei about two months ago and got work driving a motor-bus for a service running at Birkenhead. He had been out of work for the past six or seven weeks.

His first break was on June 1 when he entered offices in the Victoria Arcade. Here he obtained a little money and the blank cheque forms. A few nights later he returned and broke into more offices in the same building. His confession covers the whole of his raids, including the Phoenix Chambers, the Edson Buildings, tea rooms at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets and other offices throughout the city. He always managed to get into the buildings by hiding in dark corners and lavatories and waiting until the occupants had left. When it grew dark he began his raids. The prin-

cipal difficulty was in leaving: the buildings and in order to do so he often had to climb over high walls, fire escapes and scale down waterpipes. POLICE “CLEAN-UP” SEVERAL ARRESTS MADE During the past week the police have cleaned up Auckland as far as crime is concerned. The “cat” raider disturbed them for a time, but now he has been successfully run to earth. The arrest of Francis Hampton Housiaux on June 17 and his companion in Wellington yesterday has cleared the mystery surrounding the theft ot about £3OO worth of jewellery in Wellington early in May. It. is be lieved that these two men have confessed to the crime. A man who was arrested in Christchurch and brought to Auckland has. it is stated, confessed to breaking and entering several houses in the Auckland suburbs.

SLIGHT YOUNG MAN

COURT CROWDED TO SEE SUSPECT REMANDED FOR WEEK A crowded gallery at the Pclice Court this morning focused its attention on Reginald Gordon Cotterill as he stepped into the dock. “There is a number of charges against this young man for breaking into offices,” remarked Detective-Ser-geant Kelly. “He is the man the papers designate as the cat burglar. Cotterill, who was described on the charge-sheet as a bus driver, aged 23. and with no fixed place of abode, was a slight young man of medium height. His demeanour -was by no means bold, and he gave an impression almost of timidity. He was dressed in dark, trousers and vest with a light coat. The charges against him were that on June 16 he broke into the Brookfield Chambers, Shortland Street, where he stole a revolver and 4s belonging to one Prendergast. He faced a second charge of obtaining a car valued at £IOO from Edgar Pearce on June 3 by means of a valueless cheque. The cheque was said to have been signed with the name Gordon McLeod and another alias given on the charge sheet was R. MeLoud. On the application of the detectivesergeant a remand was made for a week. Cotterill was not represented by counsel, and made no request for bail.