PLANNED TO ROB TAXI-DRIVER

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28937, 3 July 1959, Page 16

PLANNED TO ROB TAXI-DRIVER

Court Told Of Youths’ Meeting In Milk-Bar

/New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 2.

Five teenage members of a gang met in a Queen street milkbar to plan to rob a taxi driver, Mr F. McCarthy, S.M., was told by the police when four of the youths appeared before him in the Magistrate’s Court at Auckland today on a charge of theft. The youths, all first offenders, had their names suppressed. They were remanded for a week. The police prosecutor, Mr W. H. Austin, said the youths hired a taxi, which was directed to Titirangi, where the' driver was asked to stop. One of the youths gave the taxi driver a slight tap on the head with a soft piece of plastic material.

“One of the youths who is to appear before the Children’s Court put a belt around the taxidriver’s shoulders and held him to the back of the driver’s seat.” said Mr Austin.

Realising that the youths wanted money, the taxi-driver handed them his wallet and one of the youths took approximately £4 10s. One of the youths turned the car radio off and then disconnected the speaker of the radio set. Then one of the youths wiped the car down to remove any finger prints. The five youths then had the driver drive them through back streets to Sandringham where they alighted. They divided the £4 10s among them.