Five cars and 80 watches taken

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34089, 28 February 1976, Page 7

Five cars and 80 watches taken

During Four days a youth I and his companions took five cars and committed three [

burglaries, stealing property including watches worth $6400, Sergeant J. R. Palmer told the Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

Before Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M., was Grant William Maxwell, aged 17. a shearer from Fairlie. Maxwell pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary and five of unlawfully taking a car, and was convicted and remanded on bail to March 4 for a probation report.

The first burglary was of the Linwood Bowling Club on Stan more Road on January 30, said

Sergeant Palmer. Entry was gained bv forcing a door and $135 in cash was taken. Damage amounted to $7B.

The next morning a ear was taken from Gilbey Street. The car had been locked.

The defendant and his companions used the car to transport a safe from the Madias Street premises of P. and W. Henderson, Ltd. There had been 80 watches in the safe but they were gone when the safe was found at Bromley the same day.

On February’ 1 three ears were taken from Rakaia and Ashburton. One of them was taken from a car sales yard and later abandoned after it ran out of petrol. The cars were valued at $3OO, $7OO and $lOOO.

On February 2, the premises of the Canterbury Farmers’ Cooperative, Ltd, at Geraldine were entered by forcing a rear door. Two watches and four firearms, worth a total of $585, were taken. They had not been recovered.

The same day a fifth car, valued at SlOOO, was taken from Christchurch.

When the police questioned the defendant at Fairlie he had admitted the offences, said Sergeant Palmer. Maxwell said he had received none of the 80 watches but had been drunk at time of the burglary and had gone along to “save face.'’

Tennis.—Phil Dent of Australia pulled off a mild upset when he downed Billy Martin in the open ing round of the W.C.T.-Robin-tech Classic. 6-3. 6-3. In another opening round match in Fort Worth. Tom Gorman (U.Sj.) overcame earlv difficulty to beat Jaime Fillol, of Chile. 2-6 6-3. 6-4.