CAUGHT RED-HANDED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 739, 12 August 1929, Page 1

CAUGHT RED-HANDED

SHOPLIFTER FINED £2O WOMAN’S FIRST LAPSE Found stealing in a large City drapery store, a married woman aged 29, was handed over to the police. She then confessed to four other thefts from City shops. The woman appeared at the Police Court this morning, when Mr. J. J. Hogben entered a plea of guilty ou all five counts. The goods taken were of a total value of £l4 5s lid. According to Detective-Sergeant Kelly, the woman had been caught with the goods by the manager of one firm. It was her first lapse and there was no need for her to steal, as her circumstances were good. She w-as a member of a respectable family. Mr. Hogben was of the opinion that, although it looked an ordinary case of petty thieving, the circumstances were unusual. The woman had seen two other shoppers picking up stuff at the store where she had been caught, and she had been unable to resist the temptation, following suit. She was putting back the articles when she was accosted. “This woman has been married five years and gets a good allowance,” said Mr. Hogben. “She has everything she wants and had £6 in her bag when arrested. Her married life has been very happy, and I can only hold her health responsible for her action. She has hitherto had an unblemished character, and all these offences were committed within a short period.” Counsel asked for leniency and suppression of the name. “We havd not had so many cases of this sort lately,” observed Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., “so I shall not send this woman to gaol. We had a number of these cases last year until I gave one woman 21 days, which stopped it. Accused was fined £2O, in default one month’s imprisonment.