THROUGH FANLIGHT

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 54, 27 November 1930, Page 13

THROUGH FANLIGHT

Intruder in Office Suite FOUND BY CARETAKER Explaining that, acting under the influence of liquor, he had climbed through the fanlight of an office five stories up, in broad daylight, for no clear purpose, Ernest Holloway, aged 34, labourer, was committed in the Police Court yesterday for sentence on a charge of breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime. Robert Scolley, caretaker and watchman of the National Bank building, gave evidence that at 5.45 p.m. on the day of the offence he visited the fifth floor of the building. Glass from a broken fanlight above a door of a suite of rooms occupied by Bowden, Bass and Cox lay on the floor. Selecting another of the doors, all of which were locked, witness went through to find accused sitting on a pile of papers in the vestibule. Accused could have obtained ingress to. the room only through the broken, fanlight. Asked his business, accused said he was waiting for the superintendent Witness, not satisfied with the explanation, was about to call the police when he met Mr. Bass at the lift. Frederick Harold Bass, public accountant, said he had not seen accused prior to the affair and did not know him. Witness, meeting Scolley and accused at the lift, told the latter he had better explain himself. Accused was rather excited. He said he had been going out of the office and the caretaker had banged the door and broken the fanlight. Witness saw that papers were scattered on the table and a cupboard was disarranged. Accused: Do you suggest I ransacked the place? Witness: There was a letter taken out. Accused: One of the clerks might have done it? Witness: That is not very likely. Accused: Was I affected by drink at the time? Witness: You were under the influence of liquor. Detective McLennan deposed that he interviewed accused, who said he intended pleading guilty to the charge. He made a written statement to witness, in which he said he had been drinking during the afternoon. He wandered into Featherston Street and went into the bank building. He climbed through the fanlight of the room. He presumed that in his drunken state he went into the . office for the purpose of stealing. The fanlight broke as he was getting through it <!» Charge Pending James Laurence Jamieson Tait, aged 20, labourer, pleaded guilty to converting to his own use a motor-car, value £595, the property of Frederick Hayward. Stanley John Preston, aged 20, labourer, admitted converting to his own use a motor-car, valued at £l5O, the property of George H. Scales Ltd. Sub-Inspector Ward, chief detective, said a number of other charges would be preferred against the two accused. Preston was a son of respectable parents, but “no application had been made for bail. The two accused were remanded for sentence until December 3, In each ease bail was allowed, in the sum of £lOO, with one surety of a similar amount. Further Remands John James Clayton, aged 57, labourer, was charged with stealing a suitcase and contents and other articles, total value £l5, the property of Joseph Dribble. A remand until November 28 was granted. Francis Halligan, aged 33, labourer, was remanded until December 3 on a charge of stealing a cashbox and money, total value 15/-, the property of Harold Blick, and another charge of stealing a cheque valued 'at £4/13/4, the property of Margaret McKeown.