MAORI YOUTH ADMITS THEFT

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1926, Page 2

MAORI YOUTH ADMITS THEFT

PENALTY OF DETENTION Charged with stealing the sum of £8 Ils at Wanganui on October 16. and also to receive sentence for the theft of a bicycle at Egmont Road, to which charge he pleaded guilty on Wednesday last, a young Native named Ran.-; Pottiki “ appeared before Mr. R. \V. Tata SM in the Police Court on Saturday: The accused, who elected to be dea'lt with summarily, pleaded guilty to the other . and was «entenc\l on both to ( etorrnat ve detention for a period not . 'xceer. ng 18 months, the sentences to . be concurrent. Appearing for the police, Detective ! Meiklejohn said that for a week pre- , V’OUS to the offence the accused had . been frequenting the premises and asso- , ciating with the carters of Newsome’s , Ltd., bakers, of Pitt Street. Wanganui’ and on the morning in question, having a frisky horse in liis charge one of them gave the Maori the money, which was the previous day's takings, and asked ' him to hand it in to the office. Accused i went in the direction of the office, hut did not hand in the money and later came to New Plymouth, where he had stayed at a private boarding house. Ho was s-ibseouently arrested on a farm, near Stratford, where he was work'ng’ and it was then found that he had in 1 his possession a bicycle which had been ' taken from Harry Mann at. Egmont Road. He had been iieforc the coAt ou three previous occasions. On the first he had been committed to an industrial school, and lafcpr lie received a sentence of two years’ reformative detention on a charge of theft, hut was released under license. He had also been convicted* in May last of unlawfully usln* a bicycle. Counsel for the accused safd Potuki followed the occupation of a farm worker and bnshfeller and at the time of his arrest he was making an attempt to earn an honest living. It was admitted that his record was bad. but the fact that he had been released from his previous term of detention when he had served about half his sentence showed that he was amenable to disciplinary punishment, and he suggested that, as all the matters in which he had been concerned were no more serious than eases of petty thieving, he might again ba given a term of reformative detention. which would meet the case of his own interests and those of the public, who were entitled to protection. It was quite impossible, said the magistrate, to grant probation In a case of this sort. He had to choose between sending the accused to prison with hard labour or a term of reformative detention. He had decided to adopt the latter course. The length of the term wonld actually depend on the prisoner’s own conduct. An order was made for the return of the bicycle to its owner.