Theft Of Cattle Admitted

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32037, 11 July 1969, Page 6

Theft Of Cattle Admitted

(New Zealand Press Association)

BLENHEIM, July 9.

Thefts of wool worth $727 and cattle worth $687 from the Conway Hills station, owned by the estate of Sir Arthur Sims and Lady Sims, were admitted in the Kaikoura Magistrate’s Court yesterday by a man formerly employed there as a shepherd.

He is Colin Patrick Guthrie, aged 37, now of Kaikoura, who was convicted by Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M., and remanded on bail for sentence in Christchurch on July 16. The thefts were noticed when the manager of Conway Hills, who lived on another property owned by the same estate, visited the station while Guthrie was on holiday in May, said Detective Sergeant E. G. Ward. The manager noticed tyre marks at the cattle yards and on making inquiries learned that a few days earlier six head of cattle had been trucked from Conway Hille,

through a Cheviot stock buyer, and sold. It had been established that three of the beasts were from Glen Colwyn, a neighbouring property, a shepherd from which had already been dealth with in the Christchurch court on a similar theft charge. It was further learned that three cows and five vealers had also been trucked from Conway Hills station and sold at Addington on the defendant’s account for 8449.50. The wool had been sold to a visiting buyer between December, 1967, and December, 1968, by Guthrie, who had authority to sell wool in the shed.