CONVERSION OF ARMY TRUCK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 May 1942, Page 2

CONVERSION OF ARMY TRUCK

CHARGES AGAINST TWO DRIVERS. DISTRICT COURT-MARITAL AT MASTERTON. Charges relating to the conversion of an army truck and to failure to stop when challenged by a sentry were made against two army drivers, John Aran Shivnan and Gordon Patrick McKenna, at a district court-martial; held at Masterton on Saturday. The hearing occupied the whole day. Sec-ond-Lieutenant E. G. Webb was prosecutor. The finding of the court will be announced later. Evidence was given to the effect that ah army truck was taken without permission and driven erratically in the camp toward the main gate, where it hit a strainer post. There it was left. Both accused were arrested. They had been drinking. Mr J. Macfarlane Laing, defending counsel, said the accused had been in close custody for 42 days and that period, 'he considered, should be taken into account in assessing any penalty. McKenna was found not guilty of using threatening language to SecondLieut, F. H. Pollard. Major A. B. Sievwright, judge-advo-cate, submitted that it would be proper to consider that the accused’s outburst was not serious, specially as no obscene language was used. What was said was while accused was drunk and annoyed about being arrested.