MISSING MOTOR CAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 282, 28 November 1932, Page 3

MISSING MOTOR CAR

ENGINEER CHARGED. VEHICLE BEING REPAINTED. CONSTABLE'S DISCOVERY. An engineer, Herbert Sunderland Fielding, aged 27, appeared in the Police Court this morning, charged with the theft of a motor car, valued at £160, the property of Lonia Ellen Grace Williams, at Henderson, on November 21. There was a further* charge of stealing 100 lien eggs, valued at 10/. Evidence was given by Mrs. Williams that she found her motor car was missing from her garage at Henderson at 11 a.m. on November 22. A box containing 100 eg'is was also missing from the washhouec. Constable Parker, of Wailii, said he went to Waitekauri on November 23, and at 11.30 a.m. saw a small motor car among some scrub a short distance away from a secluded road. The car had been painted yellow, but when witness saw it, parts of it had been repainted white. There was no one about, and witness concealed himself in the scrub. Twenty minutes later accused approached the car. He appeared to be "touching it up'' with paint. Witness crept through the scrub towards accused, and noticed several tins of paint and some brushes lying ou the ground. On being questioned, Fielding admitted that the motor car was not his. He said it belonged to Joseph Williams, of Henderson. In a statement which Fielding made, he admitted removing the car from the garage at Henderson, but said he intended to return it.

Fielding, for whom Mr. W. Noble appeared, pleaded not guilty to the charge of theft of the car, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. He admitted stealing the eggs, and on this charge he was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment.