ALLEGED THEFT OF CAR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25178, 8 May 1947, Page 3

ALLEGED THEFT OF CAR

HEARING IN SUPREME COURT

Jeffrey Corbett, a labourer, aged 26, was charged in the Supreme Court yesterday with the theft, on October 17, 1946, of an Austin motor-car valued at £350, the property of George Leslie Sharman, and, alternatively, with receiving the car, on or about October 17, 1946, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained. Accused was represented by Mr E. M. Hay, and Mr A. W. Brown appeared for the Crown. The hearing was before Mr Justice Flem-

ing. The facts in the case were rather out ©f the way, Mr Brown said. The car, a 1937 model, had been bought by Sharman in 1937, and he had used it until 1946. In October, Sharman must have felt that something might happen to his tyres. On October 16 he took the precaution of making a note of the serial numbers of all five tyres. The following evening the car was taken from a street in Christchurch. He reported his loss to the police, but nothing was heard of it for months.

On October 31, 1946, a man giving his name as J. Lowry registered a car which he described as a Singer eight horsepower two-seater car. On February 7 application had been made to the Post Office for a transfer of ownership from Lowry to Corbett, the car again being described as a Singer.

On February 25 the police had inspected the records at the Post Office, and later they interviewed Corbett, Mr Brown said. At Corbett’s home there was a car with a Singer insignia on the front of it. It had the same registration plates as the ones issued on October 31 to ; Lowry,, and-as in the transfer. Accused : had told the police he had bought the * car from Lowry on February 7. He said • he had seen an advertisement in a Christchurch newspaper advertising the car for sale cm December 16 or December 17- ■ The story seemed to be a Perfectly feasible one, but the car labelled a Singer turned out to be the car stolen from Sharman. Photographs would be pro-

duced to show the many alterations made to the car. The roof had been altered to give it the appearance of a tourer, the engine number had been cut completely off, the insignia on the runningboards had been removed, the radiator insignia had been taken off, the radiator grill altered and a Singer insignia attached certain sheet metal rivetted round the car, the back of which was changed, and it had been painted a different colour. However, it still carried the tyres bearing the serial numbers noted by Sharman. Examination of the whole of the car showed clearly that it was a 1937 Austin. Corbett had persisted in his explanation, and had given Lowry’s address being in Hills road. ‘ No one of that name was at the address given. He would submit that Lowry and Corbett were one and the same persc-n. On October 31, 1946, a man brought a radiator to a firm of sheet metal workers in Christchurch, and a few days later brought a grill. Some work had to be done on them for a man named Corbett. The principals of the firm would testify fhat the radiator and grill were identical *ith those in Corbett’s possession when Visited by the police. Corbett had been asked to make a statement, but had refused to make any statement in writing, had been unable to find the receipt for th e car. He had then said: "I see **n in a tough spot. I can clear myself, nut if I did it would involve two or three others.”

When Corbett had been released on bail *fter the lower Court he had had to report daily to the police, Mr Brown said. ♦♦ bad had to si En a book on every attendance. The signatures in the book had been compared with three other lots signatures—the registration application, the change of ownership form, and the application to insert an advertisement in a newspaper. Evidence would be given 1 t there was a most marked simiL a of the signatures, and a witness would give his opinion that they were 111 ntade by the same person. The hearing was then adjourned until “Us morning.