THEFT CHARGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 214, 11 September 1939, Page 9

THEFT CHARGE.

ROLL OF NOTES.

MAORI WOMAN IN THE DOCK. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. The hearing of evidence ajrainst a Maori woman, Materia Brown, aged 44. charged, on August 27, with stealing £137 10/ from the person of Lee Jung, an elderly Chinese, was concluded before Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Police Court to-day, when she was sent for trial. Last Monday the evidence of the complainant, Lee Jung, was taken at a special Court held in Ward 11 of the Auckland Hospital, where he is a patient. Detective-Sergeant McHugh prosecuted and Mr. K. C. Aekins represented the accused. Trip in Taxi. To-day a taxi-driver stated that at 2.15 p.m. on Sunday, August 27, lie picked accused up in Upper Queen Street in answer to a telephone call. Witness drove her to a shop in Park Road, where she purchased fruit and flowers. Accused then said she wanted to go to Pukekolie, as she had never been there before, and a«-ked him how much it would cost to go there. When he told her it would cost £1 10/ accused said she would give him £2. On the way to Pukekohe accused produced a roll of notes, at the same time asking witness if he 1 ad an elastic band. He told her she should l>e very careful carrying a large sum in notes about. She ther. remarked that she drew £800 a year from the Native Land Court.

Evidence that accused bought £2 worth of friiit and flower* and tendered a £."» note was then given by a shopkeeper.

Detective Blackburn said he went to a house in Nelson Street at 0.30 p.m. on August 27 in company with Detective Hunter and the complainant, Lee Jung. There he saw the accused and asked! her if she was Materia Brown. Accused said that was the name of her niece. He then asked her what she had done with the money she had taken from the Chinese in Myers Park that afternoon, whereupon accused ran downstairs into a lavatory. Witness and Detective Hunter overtook accused in the lavatory, just in time to see her take a roll of notes from her underclothes. "As she was attempting to place the roll of notes in the lavatory I grabbed her hand and took the roll from her," said the detective. "I told her she was under ai l est for the theft of the nionev and warned her that anything she might say would be used in evidence. Accused replied that she had nothing to sav, but later she told me that she had been given the money by Lee Jung to mind for him. I counted the roll of "notes and found there were 26 £5 notes and one £1 note, making a total of £131. Brown charged with the theft of £137

Detective Hunter gave corroborative evidence.

Brown pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.