CHARGE OF BREAKING AND ENTERING

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21728, 10 March 1936, Page 6

CHARGE OF BREAKING AND ENTERING

MAN COMMITTED FOE

SENTENCE

Peter William lan Hamilton Dow pleaded guilty in the Magistrate's Court yesterday before Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., to a charge of breaking and entering the house of Joseph Leonard Parish, 331 Hills road, on February 26 last, with intent to commit a crime. He was committed for sentence at the next sitting of the Supreme Court. He pleaded guilty also to a charge of stealing a bicycle valued at £4, the property of W. A. Bascand, about January 28. and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labour on this charge. Joseph Leonard Parish, a farmer, of 331 Hills road, said that about 1 p.m. on February 26 he was lying down on a couch in his front room, when he heard a ring at the front door bell. He did not answer and a little later h.e thought he heard the door open and someone enter the house. He rose and went to the front 1 room, where he saw the accused searching in an open drawer. When questioned, the accused said he had come to" see the witness about buying some apples. He later admitted he had been tempted to search for money to pay his rent. The witness held the accused, until Constable W. Devine arrived. Constable William Devine, of St. Albans, gave evidence of arresting Dow, who had said: "Oh, my God, I was tempted." Acting-Detective C. P. Burns said that the accused had told, him that with two boys and a girl he had gone to Marshland for pea-picking on thfc property of a Chinaman, whose name and address he did not know. He had gone .ahead on the bicycle of one of the boys, but not knowing where the property they sought was, he had entered Parish's house.

When asked if he had anything to say, the accused said that wheh he first entered Parish's house, he had no intention of doing any such thing as he* did. He was suddenly tempted, but had obtained control of himself and was about to leave the house when Parish appeared. Chief-Detective J. Dunlop said that between 1930 and 1934 Dow had been convicted for theft three times. He was admitted to be weak.intellectually.