DECISION RESERVED ON THEFT CHARGES

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30738, 30 April 1965, Page 17

DECISION RESERVED ON THEFT CHARGES

It was not disputed that articles worth £63 4s Id were stolen by the accused’s nine-year-old son, but it was denied that the accused was guilty of theft, said Mr M. J. Glue in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He was appearing for a woman who was charged with stealing a Transport Board cash-box, eight handbags, four dolls, four pairs of panties, four tins of hair spray, a wallet, a box of handkerchiefs, a pair of shoes, a brooch, and an umbrella. The name of the woman, who pleaded not guilty, was suppressed. Mr H. J. Evans, S.M., reserved his decision. The accused's son said in evidence that about Christmas time he stole articles from shops and a cash-box from a bus. He put the cash-box under his mother’s bed and told her he had put it there. He admitted taking two handbags from shops. After he stole goods from shops he told his mother he had sneaked them. He also gave her money, which she put in a tin so that he could not get it. The boy said that his mother wanted him to take the things back, but he would not. so she kept them. To the Magistrate the boy said he did not tell his mother which shops he took the goods from.

Detective Constable T. O. Tozer said he took the boy to his home and told the accused that her son admitted stealing articles from shops. At first the accused strongly denied any knowledge of the matter, but later admitted receiving the articles. The accused said she asked her son to return the goods to the shops, but he refused, so she kept them in the hope that he would take them back. She strongly denied receiving any money. She admitted that she had not reported the matter to the police

nor tried to locate the owners of the property. To Mr Glue the witness said that most of the articles had not been used, but some of them had been used by the accused’s daughter. The accused said that the boy gave these articles to his sister as a Christmas present. Constable Marie Rose Moynihan said she accompanied Detective Constable Tozer to the accused’s home. The accused made a written statement in which she said her son had been bringing home property for the last month. The boy had said he bought some of it with money he had found, and stolen other articles. The boy had flatly refused to return the goods, and she had kept them in the hope that he would change his mind. She had not taken any steps to return the artciles. Mr Glue said there was no evidence that the accused had connived at or encouraged the offences. She had positively discouraged her son from stealing.