Mother of five gaoled

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 18

Mother of five gaoled

GV Z- Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH, February’ 24. A 30-year-old mother of five children collapsed in the dock at the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court today when she was gaoled for six months on 26 shoplifting charges.

Kay Pipi Lamb, of Shannon, was helped from the courtroom by policemen and officials. On an earlier appearance she pleaded guilty to the charges, which were committed last year in various towns between Paraparaumu and Patea.

Sergeant D. G. Ensore said earlier that the police had found about $2OOO worth of jstolen property in defendant’s

home. He said she told the police that she had travelled in her van with three youths who were living at her home, to Otaki, Levin, Palmerston North. Feilding, Paraparaumu and Patea. IN PUSHCHAIRS

She said they had gone into the shops with pushchairs and had put stolen goods into wrapping paper and bags which they had taken with them, and had then put them in the pushchairs. Counsel, Mr H. J- Williams, said it could not be denied that the thefts were well executed and that they showed a definite pattern over a wide area.

But, he said, the “group of lyoung criminals” were well organised before they came to Jive in defendant’s house. He said they ingratiated them- : selves, and grossly abused her ■ hospitality. i Mr Williams said the

family had five children and had lost many hundreds of dollars last year when their under-insured property in Shannon was gutted by fire. As a result, he said, Mr Lamb was forced to move away from home in search of work and his wife was virtually cut off with the children and had no money coming in. Mr Lamb had now been accepted for the Army and the whole family would have accommodation at Linton camp quite soon—a real stabilising factor for defendant.

Imposing a six-month prison sentence to be followed by a year’s probation, Mr J. R. P. Hom, S.M., said it was defendant’s second time before a Court on multiple shoplifting charges; in at least some of the cases it appeared there had been great care and planning. s