DARING ROBBERY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1922, Page 5

DARING ROBBERY.

BIG HAUL OF JEWE.LLKY. SEVEN YEARS’ GAOL. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Dec. 3. Reginald Birt was sentenced at the Old Bailey to seven years’ imprisonment for the robbery of jewellery valued at £9OOO from Lady Crosfield’s house at Highgate. He is a well-edu-cated Australian, born in Melbourne. William John Clarke, sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment in connection with the same robbery, is a New Zealander. Mrs. Birt, Mrs. Clarke and Arthur Sherwood, charged, were acquitted. The robbery was effected in daylight by climbing to the iron balustrade outside Lady Crosfield’s bedroom by a rope. A few minutes afterwards the robbers drove away in a motor-car. leaving many servants in the louse. Most of the stolen property was recovered.

The police regard Birt as one of the most reckless and audacious burglars in the world. He served several minor sentences in Australia; went to South Africa, where he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for a hotel robbery under the name of John Ridge. He came to England and was sentence:' to five years’ imprisonment for housebreaking at Leicester, then to three years imprisonment. He was released last August. Detectives casually saw him with Clarke and two others in the street at Highgate a few hours before the Crosfield’s robbery and immediately connected him with it when it was reported. Clarke has been associating with thieves since deserting from the New Zealand forces. The police declare that Clarke spotted for Birt and shadowed Lady Crosficld for six weeks before the burglary.