Three Men Arrested

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31785, 16 September 1968, Page 1

Three Men Arrested

A man in the Somerset Hotel, Ashburton, who was awakened by the sound of breaking glass at 630 a.m. yesterday and saw three men removing clothing from the men’s wear shop of Des Trudgeon, Ltd, telephoned the police emergency number.

A patrol car from the Ashburton police chased the car which crashed at the Racecourse Road intersection.

Three men were taken into custody and will appear in the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court this morning. The car knocked out a railway warning light at the intersection and was badly damaged but the occupants suffered only slight injuries. Clothing valued at $lOOO was stolen from the shop. All the stock was recovered. The man who alerted the police, but who did not wish to be identified, said he was awakened by the sound of crashing glass and a car revving loudly. He looked across Burnett

Street and saw men carrying clothing out of the shop and into a car. He telephoned the police and then saw the car disappear into East Street The man said the patrol car arrived in seconds.

The patrol car picked up a constable on the beat who had been in the vicinity and ran to the scene. The fleeing vehicle was then chased. A plate glass window in the shop frontage was broken. The proprietor, Mr D. Trugeon, said it was the second time his shop had been broken into in three years. On the other occasion a safe with more than £lOO, and £l5O worth of clothing were taken but were recovered in Christchurch where the men responsible were apprehended.