WATCHED BY POLICE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 169, 12 April 1930, Page 12

WATCHED BY POLICE

TALK OF SAFE-BLOWING

SEAMAN ARRESTED A theft from a jeweller’s shop of goods valued at £lOOO was recalled after years in the Police Court yesterday, when William Sullivan, alias Newtown, a seaman, aged 49, was charged with being an idle and disorderly person with insufficient lawful moans of support. Detective Hayhurst stated that accused had been living in a bach at 40 Kent Terrace. Witness had kept him under observation. Accused told witness he had arrived from Melbourne and had neither money nor work. On a later date accused said he still hoped to get cm a boat. He had borrowed £5 from a bookmaker. Witness said accused had been associated with criminals about the city, and had talked of having explosives in his possessiou and of blowing safes, and that he wanted a place in which to keep the explosives. Accused had since said that was bluff. At the time of his arrest he possessed a ferry boat ticket in the name of James, and was to have left for Lyttelton on the night of his arrest. Asked if he was to travel under the name of James, accused told witness that the man who had bought him the ticket must have made a mistake. To Mr. J. Meltzer, who appeared for accused, witness said he had found no explosives in the bach. When arrested accused had £l/9/2 in his possession, in addition to the boat ticket. Mr. Meltzer said it would be unfair for the police to hold accused on suspicion. Detective-Sergeant Holmes said accused was in New Zealand in 1910, when he and another man broke into a jeweller’s shop and stole £lOOO worth of jewellery. Ho then went to Australia, where it was understood he was known to the police. Mr. Meltzer asked that his client be given credit for trying to lead a straight life for the last 20 years. The Magistrate said that apart from the conviction in 1910 reports since concerning accused were not favourable. Sentence of three months’ imprisonment with hard labour was imposed.