TREACHEROUS THIEF

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1049, 13 August 1930, Page 1

TREACHEROUS THIEF

GUEST KNOCKED OUT AND ROBBED ASSAULT AT ROTORUA From Our Own Correspondent ROTORUA, Tuesday. A knock-out blow on the jaw and the loss of more than £2O was the experience of Ripley William Jacombi of Rotorua, after he had accepted an invitation to tea. Iu the Magistrate’s Court at Rotorua today Tommy Webber (25), a quarter-caste Maori, was charged with assaulting and robbing Jacomb o£ more than £2O at Koutu, near Rotorua, on August 4. Jacomb said he met the accused outside an hotel at Ohinemutu shortly after six o’clock on the evening in question. Webber chummed up to him and asked him home for tea. Witness accepted. They walked iu the direction of Ngongotaha and when in the vicinity of the Koutu railway station witness remonstrated at the distance. He then received a knock out blow on the jaw and when he recovered consciousness he found he had been robbed of a roll of notes of the value of £22, all that was left to him being some 14s in silver. Witness rang for a taxi, from a neighbouring house, and drove to the Rotorua police station, where he laid a complaint. As a result of his injuries he had been in hospital for two days and away from work for nearly a week. Police evidence was to the effect that accused was arrested at Wliakatane on Friday. He had at first denied the offence, but afterward ad rnitted it. A plea of guilty was entered by Webber and he was remanded to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence.