THEFT OF RINGS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 288, 16 September 1933, Page 6

THEFT OF RINGS.

MARRIED WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY. THE PATHOLOGICAL ASPECT (Per Press Association;. AUCKLAND, September 15. Dorothy Meyrick, 28. years of age, a married woman, pleaded guilty to-day to the theft' of diamond rings worth £l7 10s, £SO and £3O from city jewellers. The police evidence was that she asked to be shown rings and cleverly ones. She had. a long list of previous convictions. Her counsel said it was a case for an alienist rather than a lawyer. All the offences with which the woman was ever charged had occurred at a time of pregnancy or shortly afterwards. In this, case a well-known business man was responsible for her condition and when asked to pay the confinement expenses he said he could not afford it. The woman then stole and pawned or sold the rings and with the money paid the hospital and other expenses. Counsel strongly urged that the case was pathological rather than criminal and that the prison woidd never reform her.

The Magistrate expressed doubt as to whether *©ll the woman's offences were due «to the one cause. Counsel asked that accused should be remanded for a week and examined by an alienist. The Magistrate readily agreed, saying that he would be glad to have such a report.