Hotel burglary alleged

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 3

Hotel burglary alleged

An unemployed fisherman who police say was cornered in a hotel bar at 3 a.m. was committed to the High Court yesterday for trial. The defendant, John Henry Karetai, aged 27, pleaded not guilty in the District Court and elected trial by jury on the charge. After evidence from three prosecution witnesses had been heard Mr R. C. Holland and Mrs J. A. Hendrie, Justices of the Peace, held there was sufficient evidence to commit the defendant for

trial. Karetai was remanded on < bail to February 13, pending ; trial. His counsel (Mr J. b. Halls) reserved his defence. . Sergeant J. J. Chadderton 1 prosecuted. . . Evidence was given that i after noise was heard from a bar of the British Hotel, . Lyttelton, at 3 a.m. on Octo- j ber 13, the licensee. John 1 Angus McKenna, and two [ boarders went to the bar. They forced open the door, which was bolted from the other side, and entered to see one man making his ’ escape through a closed window to the ground, three ' metres below. The other man, the defendant, was inside the bar and swung a‘

i pool cue about when he was I confronted. ; The police, who had been : telephoned by Mr McKenna, arrived and the defendant ■ was arrested. An office had been ran- ! sacked, the bar disturbed. ' and tills ' opened. Mr McKenna said the safe was also wide open and most of j its contents pulled out. but there was no money in it. It contained only old toojs. Louvres in and around the ! bar door had been removed, ! as had louvres in a women’s toilet.

Police ' officers gave evidence of seeing shattered glass outside the hotel on the pavement and road in Norwich Quay, which appeared to have come from broken windows of the hotel bar. Interviewed by Constable S. J. Hughes the defendant admitted having gone to Lvttelton by car with another person to burgle the British Hotel. He admitted that a pair of gloves in his possession were worn to prevent his leaving fingerprints. Constable Hughes said the defendant also admitted that he and his accomplice had used a jemmy, which the police found in the bar.