YOUTHFUL THIEVES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 226, 20 June 1929, Page 3

YOUTHFUL THIEVES

SHOPKEEPERS ROBBED Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, June 19. During the month of May small shopkeepers in Dunedin suffered from petty thefts committed by two youths, who. after being apprehended by the detectives, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning before Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. Raymond Theodore Padman and another youth were jointly charged with the theft of various sums of money ranging from £6 15s. to Bs. 6d. They pleaded Chief-Detective Cameron stated that some weeks ago the two lads had put their heads together and had started robbing small shopkeepers by watching their opportunity of getting into the shops while the shopkeepers were in the attached dwellings. The tills were then robbed. In practically all the cases Padman did the stealing while the other youth kept a lookout. It had come to the knowledge of the detective office that they ■had contemplated committing other offences of a similar nature, but were frustrated. There was no other evidence against one youth (whose name was subsequently suppressed). He got in touch with a criminal some months aro who stole some money unknown to the youth and cleared out. to Christchurch, afterwards paving the youth’s fare to Wellington. The older man was arrested and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, the youth being interviewed by the police and sent home. Shortly afterwards he got in touch with Padman and commenced the career of theft. Referring to Padman, the Magistrate said that his was obviously a case where proper disciplinary control was needed. On one charge he would be sent, to the Borstal Institute for two years, and convictions would be entered on the other charges. With regard to the other youth, the boy would be .remanded in his father’s custody solely because he was just above the juvenile age. He would suppress the name.