CONVERSION OF PETROL TANKER

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28630, 5 July 1958, Page 4

CONVERSION OF PETROL TANKER

Crashed Through Locked Gates

(New Zealand Press Association) NELSON, July 4.

A youth who converted a £6OOO articulated petrol tanker, crashed it through locked gates in an oil company's yard at Nelson and drove it to Tasman street before abandoning it. appeared in the Nelson Magistrate’s Court today. Before Mr H. J. Thompson. S.M., Barry Farrer, aged 19, married with one child, an apprentice marine engineer, pleaded guilty to two charges of conversion, two of countinghouse breaking, one each of warehouse breaking, theft, wanton damage and shop-break-ing. He was convicted and remanded in custody until Monday for sentence.

Detective-Sergeant A. W. Hedwig said that at 7.30 p.m. on June 30 the proprietor of Tudor House, a Trafalgar street shop, looked through his shop door and saw accused behind the counter. Complainant’s son ran to the rear of the shop, chased accused and detained him until the police arrived. When interviewed accused said he intended looking for money, and also admitted the other offences he was charged with. On June 2, said Mr Hedwig, accused and a companion, who was to be charged at Christchurch, went to the yard of the oil company. They went to a changing room where accused took a sheath knife, sheath and sharpening steel. The two then got into an articulated petrol tanker and accused drove it straight through the locked gates, damaging them. They drove the tanker to Tasman street where it was recovered undamaged the next day.