THEFT OF PETROL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 May 1943, Page 3

THEFT OF PETROL

TWO MEN SENT TO GAOL. RAID ON SAWMILL PLANT. James Herbert Knipe was jointly charged in the Masterton Magistrate’s Court this morning, with Percy James Jones, with the theft of 20 gallons of petrol valued at £2 12s Id., the property of C. E. Daniell, Ltd. Mr. H. P. Lawry, S.M., presided. M. J. Macfarlane Laing appeared for Knipe and pleaded guilty. Senior-Sergeant C. Murphy said that C. E. Daniell, Ltd., had a plant at Mauriceville West, where logs were hauled out of the bush. Benzine was kept there for tractors. Jones was bush foreman and resided in Masterton. Knipe and two visiting service men met at Jones’s'house in Masterton and then went to Mauriceville West to Daniells’ plant where a large tin of petrol was stored. Jones took the party to where the tin was stored and the petrol was emptied into Knipe’s car. Twenty gallons were stolen, some of the petrol being stored in tins in the back of Knipe’s car. When interviewed each defendant had blamed the other, but the facts had been given by the girls accompanying the party. The Probation Officer reported adversely on Knipe and he had a list of previous convictions.

Mr. Laing said that Knipe only knew of four gallons of petrol and Jones had told him that it belonged to him. The trouble was that his client had endeavoured to make a good fellow of himself to the visiting service men.

Jones denied that he told Knipe that he owned the benzine and said that he was under the influence of liquor at the time and had only a hazy recol lection of what had happened. Mr. Lawry referred to Mr. Justice Northcroft’s reported remarks in the Press that the fact of a man being drunk while he committed an offence was no excuse. In view of the essential nature of petrol and the fact that it was rationed, Mr Lawry said he would send Jones to gaol for six weeks. Mr Lawry said he could not believe that Knipe did not know that the petrol was stolen, and in view of his previous offcnc.es he would also send Knipe to gaol for six weeks. James Herbert Knipe was also charged with the theft of eight tappet spanners, one ring spanner and a pair of snips, valued at £3 11s., the property of Thomas Percival Whittaker. On this charge, Knipe was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.