"BAD CASE OF THIEVING"

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21971, 21 December 1936, Page 8

"BAD CASE OF THIEVING"

GOODS VALUED AT MORE THAN £IOO STOLEN BOYS PLACED UNDER CARE OF WELFARE OFFICER “This is a very bad case of thieving.” said Senior-Sergeant D. L. Caldwell in the Children’s Court on Saturday, when two boys were charged with a series of thefts of articles of a total value of £IOO 15s 3d. The thefts were in most cases bicycles, all of them good machines, and in some cases brand new racing bicycles. Other articles stolen were a travelling clock, a Spanish dictionary, a revolver, three diaries, and a quantity of bicycle spanners and accessories. The senior-sergeant said that the bicycles had been taken to a quiet paddock, and stripped of their parts. The frames were left hidden and the parts were taken to a shed at the heme of one of the boys. It was difficult to identify the bicycles because brands’and numbers had in most cases been removed. Such thefts were very numerous in a city like Christchurch, he added. Mr N. S. Bowie, who appeared for one of the boys, said the boy had been truthful and well behaved. This was his first trouble, and he had spent three days helping the police to identify the bicycles. The other boy was represented by his father, who said he would do what he could for him. “The court takes a very serious view of this scries of thefts,” said the Magistrate (Mr F. F, Reid, S.M.). “Both of you arc of an age to know perfectly well what theft means and what it leads to. There appears to be not a scrap of honesty in you.” Both boys were placed under the care of the Child Welfare Officer; oiie was ordered to pay £l3 15s 3d as restitution, and the other £5. with restitution of the goods where possible in both cases.