THEFT OF CLOTHING

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27889, 10 February 1956, Page 6

THEFT OF CLOTHING

ACCUSED FOUND GUILTY Clarence Burnaby, aged 51, a labourer (Mr J. G. Rutherford), pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court yesterday to a charge that on November 8. 1955, he stole clothing valued at £27 12s, the property of Violet Olive Archbold. A jury returned a verdict of guilty after a retirement of two hours and ahalf. Mr Justice Gresson remanded Burnaby for sentence. Mr P. T. Mahon, who appeared for the Crown, told the jury that Mrs Archbold ran a boarding-house in Lichfield street and a second-hand dealer’s shop in Manchester street. Burnaby was formerly a boarder in the Lichfield street house. Early in September Mrs Archbold discussed with Burnaby his purchase of some clothes, including two suits for which the price was £7. Burnaby said he did not have the money at the time and Mrs Archbold said she would keep them for him. She put the clothing in her son’s room at the house. On November 8 she found that her part of the house had been disturbed and the clothing was missing. Burnaby also was missing. In December Mrs Archbold received a note from Burnaby, apparently from Greymouth, and he returned one or two trinkets he said he found in the suits, said Mr Mahon. Burnaby returned to Christchurch in January. Mrs Archbold saw him and notified the police. Evidence was given by Violet Olive Archbold and by Constable B. D. Read.

The defence was that Burnaby bought the clothes from Mrs Archbold and paid for them, and that the two had gone out together and that Burnaby had the suits and wore them by Labour Day when they and others went for a trip to Dunedin. Evidence for the defence was given by Denzil Miller, a photographer, and Valerie Mary Larsen. His Honour summed up and the jury retired at 3.5 p.m., returning at 5.35 p.m. with a verdict of guilty.