FINGER-PRINT EVIDENCE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17452, 12 May 1922, Page 10

FINGER-PRINT EVIDENCE.

A WELLINGTON OABE.

(nxss ASSOCIATION TKtJSGBAK.)

WELLINGTON, May H • In the Supreme Court to-day the main erirfdence agaiist a youth named Mervyn ; John Cudby, who wbb charged ( with attempted breaking and entering and thefc, was in regard to finger prints . found abouv the premises named in the charges. Three charges were' laid ; against Cudby—attempting to break and entei; thepfemises of George and ■. George; hteaking into St. Mark'? *. Church, with, intent tocommit a crime, :<,>'«iid:jbi«akiiig -and entering the premises [ of W. H. Tisdall and stealing eleven re- * . yolvers, and .700 rounds, of ammunition. " Witnesses called by the Crown Proae- ; cutor gavo evidenoethat an unsuccess* ful attempt iad been made to enter the premises of George and George on the night of April 2nd, and that upon a r : pane of ; glass,.that.;had been removed * from a ba6k- window, finger prints were found and theglass .was forwarded to i the office of the Criminal Investigation - Department. -In the case of St. Mark's Church, effected through a 'window, and a.considerable amount of damage was done/ Whenthe vicar; (the . .. Reiv. C. F. -Askew) visited the church in the morning he found that the safe had been blown open and surplices andotfier v vestments, apparently used to deaden v ~ the sound of theexplosion, were strewn v • about the floor of - one of the church i : . rooms. However, .the safe door har s.; jammed,' and no money had been ab . .-. stracted, though damage to the extent of about £BO had been done/ More ' finger prints were found on a pane ol •». ;; glass remdved fropj one of the window* . ■, v at the back of the church. The enter .9 ing of- Tisdall's premises was discovered •' on morning of April 10th, when r . • • fanlight over the back door was found to have been broken, add the door was ' s ,open. Finger prints were discovered ■ r on the broken glass from the fanlight. . .s;. Cudby.was not arrested till some time K after the commission iof the offences, ajfrlen articles; were recovered., v BenifiV-Sergt. Diiinie, of the Criminal 3ft Department, and .finger " "~-m v stated ..that a comparison St - e wnee Bets of prints found with * ** accused showed similari-, first, 17 analß points in the sec- : point*, for-one finger and i Sla m .the palm of the left hand 1

in Tisdall'B case. The similarity of the points in each case he considered to be unmistakable proof of the prisoner's guilt. . Oudby waß found guilty of breaking and entering and remanded for sentence. His Honour, Mr Justice Reed said that if Cudby would state what became of the missing revolvers it would mako a difference in the sentence he would inflict. He did not like the idea of so many revolvers "knocking about" in the community.