BONDED SPIRIT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 40, 17 February 1943, Page 4

BONDED SPIRIT

THEFT ALLEGATION

YOUNG MAN STANDS TRIAL

Arising out of the alleged breaking and entering of Cooke and Company's' warehouse on the night of November 27, and the disappearance of a'number of cases of spirit from a Customs bond in'the building, Don Rudolph' Melhose, aged 32 (Mr. Dickson), was charged before Mr. Justice Callan and a jury in the Supreme Court to-day with having broken and entered the -warehouse and stolen 14 cases of whisky, a case of gin and a case of rum, and on alternative counts with the theft of the goods and with having received them knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. The value in the bond store of the goods was given as £169.' Outlining the case for the Crown, Mr. V. R. Meredith said evidence would be given that ,the burglary took place on November 27, that on December 7 the cases of spirit bearing the bond identification marks were found by police officers in a shed at Northcote, and that on December 6 accused, who kept a shop in Pitt Street, had driven a car containing the goods to the shed and put the cases inside, having with him the owner of the shed, who was told the cases held private goods accused wished to store. Seen after the discovery, accused said he had bought the spirits for £488 from a man he declined to name. Later, from what he saw in a newspaper, he suspected the goods, but he did not want to lose his money. It would be shown, said counsel, that in shifting the cases to Northcote the accused used a borrowed car instead of his own car. (Proceeding).