Three found guilty of burglary attempt

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33790, 12 March 1975, Page 23

Three found guilty of burglary attempt

(From Our Own Reporter) NELSON, March 11.

Three young men who pleaded not guilty to charges of being in possession of housebreaking implements at night and of attempting te burgle a pharmacy in Nelson, were convicted by Mr J. W. P. Watts, S.M., in the Nelson Magistrate’s Court today. Gordon Thomas Richman, aged 18, a cleaner, David Cameron Calder Smith, aged 22, ai; unemployed fisherman, and Mitchell Rennie Watson, aged 20. an unemployed carpenter, were remanded on ball to March 18 for a probation officer’s report ar.d sentence. They were represented by Sir A. B. Beatson.

Constable A. B. D. Cullen said that at 11.20 p.m. on February 17 he was driving a patrol car which had stopped for the traffic lights at Trafalgar Street. Looking south, be saw two men in the doorway of Martin’s Pharmacy. They entered a white car and drove away quite quickly. The police car followed, and the car was stopped. Inside were the three defendants and a leather bag containing two pinch-bars, a knife, and a pair of tin-snips. Witness said that later he found a large screwdriver, a pair of women’s gloves, half a nylon stocking, and a child’s white stocking, all of which one of the defendants tried to hide when he re-entered the car.

The defendant, Richman, accompanied Sergeant D. Allan, who was with him in the patrol car, to Martin’s Pharmacy, and when they returned the three were permitted to leave in their car while another study was made of the pharmacy premises. It was then found that the aluminium door had been jemmied off its runner, and there were heavy scratch marks on the door. The men were found, taken te the pharmacy, .and, after a discussion with the pharmacy proprietor, were arrested, said Constable Cullen.

Sergeant Allan gave similar evidence.

A forensic scientist with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Brian James Cameron, said that he had taken casts of the scratches ar.d marks on the doors and compared them with the jemmies and screwdriver given to him by the police. Without doubt, the marks were made by the instruments he was given, said witness.

After the luncheon adjournment, Mr Beatson said that in the light of the police evidence, he would not call any evidence.