THEFT FROM STATION

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20491, 6 May 1938, Page 8

THEFT FROM STATION

ATTEMPT TO SELL RUGS RETURNED SOLDIER IMPRISONED A sentence of 28 days' imprisonment was imposed on William James Lambert (61), a cook, for the theft of two rugs from the Frankton Junction railway station on May l when he pleaded guilty to the offence before Mr S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Police Court, Hamilton, to-day. Detective-Sergeant J. Thompson said Constable Henry saw accused enter a second-hand shop at Frankton with a parcel under his arm. In the shop the prisoner offered to sell two rugs to the dealer, who intimated that he did not purchase such articles. Constable Henry followed the accused out of the shop and asked him where lie got the rugs. Accused denied that he had any rugs but later admitted the parcel contained rugs which he had stolen from the waiting room of the Frankton railway station. Accused said he had no money and yielded to temptation. He was a returned soldier and attributed his lapse to the effects of the war.

1 am afraid this man is developing into a vagrant. On his own admission he has been sleeping out of doors and I think he might have been drinking methylated spirits,” said the De-tective-Sergeant. Accused denied having slept out of doors. Mr Thompson said accused was before the Court and was convicted on two previous occasions. At the time of his arrest he was wanted by the police to serve seven days' imprisonment on a default warrant.