TWENTY CHARGES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 36, 22 November 1939, Page 3

TWENTY CHARGES

ALLEGATIONS OF THEFT. OVER 3000 ARTICLES IN COURT. (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, November 21. Approximately 9400 articles, ranging from a bootmaker’s last to clothing, and small pieces of jewellery, were displayed in the police station gymnasium, which had been specially constituted a Magistrate’s Court, when Annie Adalia Albertha le Gompt O’Hanlon, a domestic, aged 57, was chai'ged with thefts from city stores of articles valued at £262. On behalf of the accused, Mr Aekins entered a plea of guilty to a charge of theft of a carton of honey, valued at lOd, but pleaded not guilty to the other charges. In order that the goods mentioned in the charges might bo suitably displayed, application had been made two weeks ago for the holding of a Court in the police gymnasium. Two long benches, and a table tennis table were laden with articles, which included 216 pieces of crystal and glassware, 139 pieces of hardware and kitchenware, 447 articles of clothing, 263 toilet requisites, 293 articles of stationery and groceries, and 376 pieces of jewellery. Accused was charged on 20 informations of theft, said Detective-Sergeant Walsh, who prosecuted. The total value of the alleged stolen goods was assessed at £262, a conservative estimate of the actual value. In 14 of the charges. MrWalsh continued, the articles were identified by employees of different city stores as being the exclusive stock of their respective firms. The value of the property described in the 14 charges was £42.

There were six further charges, embracing Urn alleged theft of 2641 articles, described as the property of persons unknown. The value of that property was estimated at £220.

Accused, said Mr Walsh, was arrested on November 4. She was detected in the act of stealing a- carton of honey, valued at lOd, from the counter of a. city store. The arrest led to a. search of accused’s room, where this vast mass of property was found. When interviewed bv the police, accused explained that practically all the property seized was brought by her from Christchurch some three and a half years ago, and that it had been purchased at various auction sales by her late husband. Evidence would be called to show that the articles before the Court were of recent manufacture, many of them having been- on the market for a'short period only, and at most two years. Inspection showed that the goods were obviously in new condition.

“I wish to stress in the present case,” Mir Walsh concluded, “that no person in. (accused’s position in life would be .in possession of tho wide assortment of goods displayed before your worship to-day. The 3460 articles exhibited in this case are typical of a shoplifter’s collection, and all the circumstances point to the conclusion that the property lias been stolen.”

After witnesses had been crossexamined by Mr Aekins, "the case was (adjourned.