ARMED BURGLAR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 110, 19 February 1935, Page 5

ARMED BURGLAR

FIVE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT. OFFENCES AT WOODEND. MAN WITH A LONG LIST. (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Leslie Pearce/for burglary and committing offences when armed, was sentenced- to live years' imprisonment by Mr Justice Johnston at the Supreme Court this morning. Pearce had been found guilty of discharging a revolver at a storekeeper 'at Woodend and also with breaking into a warehouse. ' Counsel said that prisoner stated that he had carried the gun out of sheer bravado. After the dharges had been laid he had assisted in clearing up the case. _

The Judge said 'that prisoner evidently deliberately preferred to obtain his living by criminal methods. Certainly he had no respect for the laws of the country. He had a-long list of previous sentences and would have to be kept in gaol a. considerable time *as he had reached the stage of committing armed burglaries. ~, ~

FALSE PRETENCES. PROBATION FOR 12 MONTHS. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. At the Supreme Court to-day several sentences were imposed. Trevor Rhodes-AVilliams was admitted to probation for 12 months on three charges of haying obtained money by false pretences from his employers, Mason, ,Struthers, Ltd. Mr Justice Johnston said he had read the probation officer's report and prisoner's statement. "It is obvious from your conduct during the last year or so'that you haye completely lost your head," said the Judge. "Your position in sport may haye unbalanced you] but that does not excuse the deliberate commission of the crime you Committed." The cheques were deliberately signed. The jury would not have found you guilty, if they did not think you had nit ended to defraud your employers." ' Accused was ordered to refund the amount still owing, at the rate of 10s a week. .... . . A sentence of reformative detention for a period not exceeding two .years was passed on Edwin Joseph Fearon, a. tobaconnist, who had been convicted of five charges of having received stolen tobacco and cigarettes. The Judge said .that the disclosures of the startling ease with which stolen .roods could be disposed of was alarm ing, and the fact that the thieves had found it so easy to get into touch witrFearon was surprising. Others engaged in the nefarious trade mustliaye Jiven information, that it was safe to approach accused.