JUVENILE CRIME.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1920, Page 6

JUVENILE CRIME.

BURGLARY AND THEFT. GOING THE WRONG ROAD. Two bright-looking boys (brothers), aged 12 and 13 years, were summoned before the New Plymouth Juvenile Court on Saturday morning to answer charges of breaking and entering and theft from a dwelling-house. It was elicited that in the first instance the younger brother gained entrance to a dwelling and stole a pair of lield glasses and four tins of condensed milk, the total value being £8 ss. He was separately charged with this offence, and jointly the pan- had to answer another charge of entering the same dwelling at a later date and stealing the sum of 3s 3d and one tin of condensed milk. Both admitted the offences to the Court.

In reply to his Worship (Mr. T. A. B. Bailey) Detective Fitzgibbons stated that the boys were in trouble in February last, when they were admonished and discharged by the Court for similar offerees at Vogeltown. The father of the boys said that since the last offence he had endeavored to keep them under control, and had sent them to different schools, but on Saturdays they got together, and, having nothing to do, they got into mischief. If the Court permitted, he now proposed sending them to different friends in the country. ' "I don't understand you boys," said his Worship. "When I was a boy, to thieve was a terrible thing, but it does not seem so with boys nowadays. You are living in the best country in the world, and have got the best chances boys can pos'sibly have," he said. "If you were living in a country where boys are starving, I couldn't blame you, but you are well looked after and have plenty of amusement." The Magistrate warned the boys that on the next occasion they would be sent to the industrial school, which would end matters. This time they would have to be convicted and discharged, and ordered J:o come up for sentence if called upon. The father was ordered to pay £8 9s 3d for the value of the damage and stolen' articles.