AN UNUSUAL VERDICT.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1920, Page 7

AN UNUSUAL VERDICT.

IN ALLEGED THEFT CASE. MATTER FOR COURT OF APPEAL. By Telegraph.:—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. At the Supremo Court Charles Joseph Stone pleaded not .guilty to an indictment containing three counts: (1) That he stole a gold watch from the Thames Hotel on Fe-bruary 19,.1919; (2) that he stole a watch, and (3) that he did receive and have a watch well knowing at the time that it was stolen. The evidence for the prosecution was that the watcli was missed from the hotel after a (ire there, and eleven months later the police interviewed the accused and recovered the watch from a box stored hy Stone. Accused said he purchased the watch from a stranger at the fire. The jury brought a verdict of not guiity on the count of theft, and on the count of receiving found that Stone "did not know at the time he received the watch that it had been stolen, but they were agreed he knew subsequently-'it iiad been stolen." The jury agreed to his Honor adding words to the verdict to the effect that the accused knew before he was interviewed by the police that the watch was stolen. His Honor said the verdict would have to go to the Court of Appeal. He agreed with accused's counsel that the finding in Jaw amounted to not guilty. He thought, possibly that the Court of Appeal would order that a count should be added to fit the finding of the jury. .Judgment was reserved for the Court of Appeal, and in the meantime; the accused vraa released on bail.