“A SHORT, SHARP BURST”

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 260, 3 August 1928, Page 17

“A SHORT, SHARP BURST”

A TRIO OF FAST-WORKING THIEVES Dominion Special Service. .Auckland, August 2. What was stated by counsel at the Magistrate's Court this morning as a “short, sharp burst” adequately describes the career of crime of three young men —Walter Frank Goodall (aged 29)-, Willinm Henry Coleord (19>, and his brother, .lolui Charles Colcord (30). Although their "hurst” was certainly short, it was extensive, for the trio this morning pleaded guilty to breaking and entering the following shops and stealing goods worth £35 Bs. 4d.: Rout ley a. at Glen Eden; Western’s, at Avondale: Elconl's, at. Henderson; Little's, at Avondale; Mrs. Staples’s, at Henderson; Moss’s, at Avondale; and Mrs. Henderson's, at Mount Roskill. 'The three men were further charged with breaking open a post ofliee letter box at Henderson, 1 and further with unlawfully converting three motor-cars, valued at £215, £l5O and £<>o respectively, to their own use. Goodall alone was also charged with obtaining credit amounting to 10s. by fraud, forgery of a cheque, false pretences, theft of a pair of shoes, and the unlawful conversion of two motor-ears. Mr. C. O. Mahoney, who appeared for ■ Goodall, said accused pleaded guilty to all the charges. Counsel said Goodall bud embarked on a "short, sharp burst’-’ witji the Colcord brothers. Mr. Mahoney; who asked that sentence on the suni- . inary charges should be deferred until he was dealt with by the Supreme Court

<ni the major charges, wished it to be - known that Goodall voluntarily handed . himself over to the police. “Goodall got hold of an old cheque;: nearly 100 years old,” said the chief-; detective, “and after forging a signa-' ture, cashed it. The cheque bears the name 'Wyalong, New South. Wales,’ and is dated TBO.O and something,’ so the storekeeper who cashed it must have been stupid. Apart from being charged with the other two men with taking three cars, Goodall took two on his own.” Dealing with the other charges against Goodall and the Colcord brothers, the chief-detective said that the three cars were taken from garages and used by the trio when they went on their expeditions of breaking and efitering shops. Each of the accused pleaded guilty to all the charges, and xvere committed to the Supremo Court for sentence. ’