Detective In Wardrobe Saw Woman Take Money

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28890, 9 May 1959, Page 11

Detective In Wardrobe Saw Woman Take Money

(New Zealand Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH, May 8. When Detective R. P. Silk climbed out of a bedroom wardrobe after watching a woman steal £27 from four money bags on top of a cupboard, the woman fainted. Senior Detective-Ser-geant P. C. Smeaton told Mr A. W. Yortt, S.M., in the New Plymouth Magistrate’s Court today. When the woman came to she struggled with Detective Silk, and Constable K. Mac Alley, of the women’s division of the New Plymouth police was called in to help, said Senior DetectiveSergeant Smeaton.

Before the Court was Mrs Jean Margaret Johnstone, aged 26, who pleaded guilty through Mr W. R. P. Horn to a charge of stealing £27 at New Plymouth on May 1, the property of Bruce Alfred Simkin. She was remanded on bail for a week for sentence pending a probation officer’s report.

Senior Detective - Sergeant Smeaton said Mr Simkin and his wife were the owners of Sewing Machines Services, 74 Devon street, New Plymouth. Takings from the business were brought by the manageress of the shop to the Simkins’ home. Mrs Simkin stored the money in bags on the top of her bedroom cupboard. In September last year Mr and Mrs Simkin noticed the shop was not operating at a profit but they attributed this to a recession in trade. They later discovered that the money bags on the cupboard had been interfered with.

On April 27 a bag containing £l2 in money and a cheque was placed oh the cupboard by Mrs Simkin. She left the house and returned at 3.30 p.m. to find £3 10s missing. On checking takings with records kept by the manageress of the shop, Mr and Mrs Simkin found that between January 13 and April, £399 had disappeared from the bags. Mrs Johnstone had an adjacent flat to Mr and Mrs Simkin. On May 1 Detective Silk hid in the

bedroom wardrobe while Mrs Simkin went out

Four paper bags containing £B2 10s had been placed on the cupboard. Mrs Johnstone had been asked to look after the house. Detective Silk saw Mrs Johnstone remove money from the bags. When he climbed out from the wardrobe Mrs Johnstone fainted.

“She kept saying she didn’t mean to do it When she came to she was arrested and she then tried to struggle* said Mr Smeaton.

In a statement to Detective Silk, defendant had said that the amount stolen by her from the bags on May 1 was the only money she had taken. Mr Smeaton said Mrs Johnstone had two previous convictions, one at Auckland and another at Hamilton.