BAR-ROOM PLOT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 93, 20 April 1932, Page 8

BAR-ROOM PLOT.

ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE. THREE MEN IN DOCK. TWO GET FOUR YEARS IN GAOL. Robbery with violence at Palmerston North on the night of March 30, when a bookmaker was relieved of £53, was admitted by John Schumacher and Frederick Murray before Mr. Justice MacGregor in the Supreme Court at Wellington. The prisoners were each sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Schumacher and Murray were joined in the dock by Sydney Sellwood, who was represented by counsel. He pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving stolen property, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained, and was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.

Schumacher said that at the time of the crime all had been under the influence of liquor, otherwise the offence would never have been committed. It had been said in the Lower Court that they had a gun in their possession, but this was not the ease. The crime was not thought out, but was committed on the spur of the moment. Murray also stated that there had been no gun. Counsel for Sellwood pointed out that the probation officer had not recommended probation in Sellwood's ease on the grounds that he had participated in the crime, but this was not the case. The robbery had been planned in an hotel and when it was carried out Sellwood was home in bed. He was about three-quarters deaf, and if he had taken part in the conversation at the hotel his companions would have had to shout, aloud the details of their arrangements. Sellwood was 4:1 years of agl» and a hard-working, good, quiet-living family man. He had never had any disposition to commit crime. He and his family had left Napier because of the lack of workthere, and had gone to Palmerston North. After hearing the assistant Crown Prosecutor, his Honor said that Schumacher and Murray had pleadecLguilty

to an offence which made them liable to life imprisonment. They had planned the robbery and had carried it out at night, knocking Mr. Williams down and threatening him, then going through his pockets. How far Sell wood was a party to the crime was not clear, but he hail known about it, and was the cause uf Schumacher being introduced to Murray. Schumacher had said that drink was responsible, but his Honor did not believe that for a moment. He believeU that there had not been a gun, but it was absurd to say that the crime ha.l been committed on the spur of tlio moment. It had been planned and deliberately and successfully carried out. Both men were equally guilty, though Murray's record was worse than that or Schumacher. A sum of £o, being part of £9 19/2 found in Schumacher's possession, wis ordered to lie paid to Mr. Williams, his Honor observing that there was no evidence as to the balance of the money being part of the proceeds of the robberv.