THEFT OF MONEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 August 1942, Page 2

THEFT OF MONEY

MEMBER OF AIR FORCE FINED BENCH REFUSES TO SUPPRESS NAME. EVIDENCE OF CRIME IN CAMPS. A statement that two-thirds of his time was spent in going round camps trying to detect crime was made by Detective-Sergeant W. Kane this morning when a charge of stealing the sum of £6 in money, the property of Charles Herbert Dudley Scantlebury, was preferred against Maurice Kininmont Lee, who appeared before Messrs H. E. Pither and L. J. Taylor, J's.P., in the Masterton Magistrate’s Court. Mr T. Jordan, who appeared for accused, entered a plea of guilty. The accused had elected to be dealt with summarily. Detective-Sergeant Kane said the accused was a member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Yesterday morning at 2.30 o’clock the accused, who had been on leave, came back to his camp and went to another hut to get some of his effects there. Yielding to a sudden temptation, the accused took £6 from a wallet in the hut. When interviewed later the accused admitted the offence! and handed back the £6. In a corps like the Air Force, the men were placed on their honour and acts like this not only brought discredit on the men and the corps, but also caused suspicion of other innocent men. There, were three other men in the hut who might have been suspected if this man had not been found out. Although he did not accuse this man of other thefts, thefts of a similar nature had occurred and the authorities were very concerned about it. Detective-Sergeant Kane said two-thirds of his time was spent in going round the camps trying to detect crime.

Evidence was given by an Air Force officer to the effect that in the Air Force an offence of this kind was looked upon as more serious than it was in civil life. In Camp it was very difficult for men to safeguard their possessions and they had to rely more or less on theohonesty' of their fellow men. Fairly recently there had been other thefts of the same nature and the authorities were very worried about it. Detective-Sergeant Kane said the same complainant three weeks ago had £5 stolen.

Mr Jordan said the accused had enlisted in March, 1940, and had served in Malaya, coming to New Zealand after the fall of Singapore. He had had a clear record in civil life and with the forces and was one of six brothers in the service of the King. One had also died on active service. The accused had acted on a sudden impulse and said he had had some liquor between his evening meal and 2.30 o’clock, when the incident occurred. He had money in his pocket which belonged to himself. Mr Jordan asked that the accused’s name should be suppressed. The Bench refused to suppress the accused’s name and imposed a fine of £lO and ordered, in addition, the return of the £6 stolen.