Men Charged With Theft From Wreck

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31736, 20 July 1968, Page 14

Men Charged With Theft From Wreck

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 19. Eight members of the Maranui Surf Club who pleaded not guilty to stealing equipment from the wreck of the Wahine were discharged under section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court today.

They are Raymond EJ’.ls Trilford, aged 31, a company representative, Roget Stephen Leadbetter, 23, a clerk, Robin George Gallagher, 23, a salesman, John Patrick Gallagher, 21, an assistant accountant, David Lawry, 23, a salesman, John Arthur Linton, 21, an industrial chemist, Michael Finlayson, 21, an engineering cadet, and Neil Hugh Penwarden, 22, a stockbuyer. They were jointly charged with stealing one lifeboat compass valued at $33.56, one double-faced deck clock valued at $lO, and one lounge chair valued at $lO, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company. Mr G. H. Todd, head signalman for the Wellington Harbour Board, said that on May 12 he saw a group of men row out to the Wahine. One man stayed in the boat while the rest went on board the wreck. They were there about one and a half hours. Constable F. E. Foley said he went to Seatoun Beach at 12.30 p.m. on May 12 and saw a young man run from the surfboat Maranui with a lounge chair. He asked the group where the chair came from and was told it came from the Wahine. To Mr W. V. Gazley, counsel for the defence, Constable Foley said he was satisfied that the youths had taken the property under the mistaken assumption that it belonged

to nobody. He said they were of good character and from a good organisation. The secretary of the Union Steam Ship Company, Mr G. R. Edmonds, said that on May 12 all the property on board the Wahine belonged to the company. Trilford, whp Is club captain of the Maranui Surf Club, said he had seen a press report on May 10 in the “Evening Post” which said the Wahine was a total loss and would be towed out to sea and sunk. He had presumed that the equipment on board would be towed out too. He said the articles taken were intended as souvenirs for the club house. Summing up, Mr W. Me Alevey, S-M-. said the defendants had no right to come to the conclusion that the property belonged to no-one. He said that had the articles been taken for monetary gain he would have imposed imprisonment