Roberts On Charge Of Yacht Theft

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31521, 8 November 1967, Page 22

Roberts On Charge Of Yacht Theft

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

BRISBANE, November 7.

“What a nightmare it was, food short and the three of us nearly starved to death,” Wylie Hanby Roberts told a Brisbane detective it was alleged in Court in Brisbane today.

Detective Sergeant F. Donoghue said in Court that Roberts, a 24-year-old salesman, told him this aboard a j plane returning from New, Zealand where he was arrested on a charge of stealing the $40,000 yacht South Pacific. Detective Sergeant Donoghue today gave evidence in Brisbane Magistrate’s Court when the case opened against Roberts who with his 31-year-old son and Neville Fineberg were rescued off the South Pacific near New Zealand on June 20 last Detective Sergeant Donoghue denied that Roberts had said he had not known the yacht was stolen. Roberts was charged with having, between April 13 and April 19 last, with Neville Fineberg in Brisbane broken into the ship South Pacific, the property of Herbert Carrington Jenyns. Roberts was also charged that between April 13 and 19 he stole the South Pacific valued at $40,000 the property of Mr Jenyns and between

i April 14 and April 19 with Fineberg stole the ship |Kundy valued at $12,000, the (property of Green and White ; Detective Sergeant Donoghue who took Roberts into custody in New Zealand after arresting him on a warrant said that when he warned Roberts on the plane trip home about making statements Roberts replied, “I know we had a narrow escape, we nearly starved to death, my boy is lucky to be alive ” Neville Fineberg “got me into this trouble, he broke into the South Pacific—not me. We talked it over and I took him where the South Pacific was tied up in the river. “He told me he was going into the cabin of the South Pacific so we could use it to get to New Zealand.” Detective Sergeant Donoghue said Roberts told him that while Fineberg boarded the South Pacific he waited in another boat in case somebody came along. When Fineberg got into the cabin Roberts joined him with his son, Bobby, who was 3} years old and the three of them headed for New Zealand. Detective Sergeant Donoghue said Roberts told him that there were 200 gallons of fuel, accommodation for five and food for aproxiniately a month on board, but that they used the fuel up and had to use sail. I “What a nightmare it was,” Detective Sergeant Donoghue ;said Roberts told him. “Food j got short and the three of us (nearly starved to death.”