A WOMAN "RAFFLES"

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

A WOMAN "RAFFLES"

A N innocent-looking, silver- ** haired woman "Raffles, ,, 56, was sentenced to 1 8 months' imprisonment at East Kent Quarter Sessions at Canterbury after confessing to an amazing series of burglaries. By her neighbours at Greatstone, the popular seaside bungalow town on Romney Marshes, e he was regarded, as a quiet, respectable, homely wife and citizen, but police, who searched her house, found in an attic several hundred articles worth more than £300 which she had stolen from lj bun-a-lowe in the district. Though she wae indicted in (he name of Elizabeth Mary Nicholl.-. hnunekeeper of Greatstone, the police revealed that her roal name win Kli/.abetli Murv Hoare. and that she wa< single." and had been in p n v.,, n | >r( . v j, )|lslv f p t Ollice theft. I'oli.e and residents of Greatstone had been bailh-d by the robberies for '"ore than IS month*, but no one eusper e, f or a 111()Inent that t , Nl] , g .MclinlU. as *he was known, was the mysterious intruder. Always workino- at night and alone, ehe would freely "discuss the latest burglary with her neighbours next day, and once ehc actual]? sympathised with a friend whose house *nc had entered, stealing several articles! One thing which puzzled the police is how she managed to remove the vari- • ous articles to her own home, for they included heavy pieces of furniture, carpete, carpet sweepers, complete dinner and teasets, bedding and bed clothes • and even a lawnmower. j

The woman told the police that she carried them all home hereelf, often paying several visits to a bungalow if it were unoccupied at the time. She is believed to have pushed the lawnmower nearly a mile along the road to her home. When she appeare-d in the dock, "Mrs >>icholls' was smartly dressed in a brown coat with a fur collar and a rod hat, and *ho carrier, yellow gloves. She i* of attractive appeiirance ami it was difficult to believe she was a sclfconf(«t«<ed burglar. lii'privontiii}.' tlie prosecution. Mr TT •T. Busier tnl.i the Court that in addition to the three charges in the indict-"K-iit to which she had pleaded guilty -lif wished ]2 other oases of breaking and iMilvrinjr to be considered. "Almost all the articles stolen were loiuul in her house, apart from a few Ih Hμ* she said e he had given to relatives, declared Mr. Baxter. "It does not seem to be the work of a professional thief—a person who steals articles and sells them—but it ie remarkable that this woman was able to remove, such large quantities of stuff including heavy articles. "In a statement to the police, she declared she had always worked on her own and that her 'husband' knew nothing about it. There is certain!v no evidence to the contrary. Her method was to break a pane of s la*s near the ll ■ °f, do< ? rs < an <l open the door from the inside, but on occasions she forced through" window « and climbed Detective-Sergeant Leslie Hadlow, of Aehford, revealed that '-Mrs. Nicholle" was sentenced to eight months' mpnsonment at the Old Bailey in 1019 for stealing ten £5 notee and five 20/

postal orders while employed as a sorter at Mount Pleaeant Sorting Office. It had been ascertained that she was single, and was born at Beckenham, Kent. Leaving school at 13, she lived with her parents at Beckenham until she was IS. when she went into domestic service. She remained in the same situation for 10 years, leaving only on the death of her"employer. Then, "from August, 1917, until June. 1919, she was a temporary sorter at Mount Pleasant. She resigned on her own accord, and the iheft for which she was sentenced was then discovered. On completing her sentence, she went to reticle with a William Nicholle at ITarringay, whom she had known when employed at the porting office. She lived with him from 1919 until April, 1937, when they went to Greatstone. Total value of the articles she etole was £304. and all the thefts took place at bungalows and houses within a mile of her own house. Dr. J. M. M. Matheson, Governor and Medical Officer of Hollo way Prison, expressed the view that "Xicholk" was not certifiable, but was suffering from mental instability. When admitted to the prison, she was suffering fronf insomnia, but was now much better. She was still in need of attention, however — principally rest and freedom from anxiety. After "Mrs. Kicholk* , was first interrogated by the police, ehe disappeared from Greatetone. Later she gave herself up at a London police station. Her clothes were saturated with water and she stated she had fallen into a pond on Hampstead Heath, but managed to climb out again.