COAT TAKEN

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 200, 21 May 1931, Page 16

COAT TAKEN

Two Men Charged With Theft

“BOUGHT IT IN STREET”

About 8 p.m. on Friday, May 1. two men were seen to take a leather overcoat from the front of a shop in Courtenay Place. Charles King, a fireman, aged 43, and Thomas Baldwin, a labourer, aged 35, were called upon in the Police Court yesterday to answer a charge of having stolen the coat. Mr. T. B. McNeil, S.M., presided. Stanley Frederick Brailsford, men’s outfitter, 120 Courtenay Place, said that on May 1 he placed a man’s leather overcoat upon a hanger just inside the front door of his shop. About 8 o’clock that night the coat had disappeared. The coat was valued at £5/5/-. ’ A few days afterwards the accused Baldwin called at the shop, and said he was willing to pay for the coat if witness would not proceed with the case. Witness told him that the matter had been placed in the hands of the, police, and could not be called off. Beatrice Mnnt, a married woman, living at Lower Hutt, stated that about 8 o’clock on May 1 she saw two men take an overcoat from the front of Brailsford’s shop. She informed the owner of the shop of what had occurred. \

Thomas Weatherburn, licensee of the Victoria Hotel. Wellington, stated that on May 2 both tje accused came into the hotel, and King told witness that he had a coat for sale. About 7.30 the next evening the two men called to see witness, bringing an overcoat with them. Witness asked how much they wanted for it, and was told £4. Witness offered £3/10/-, which King accepted. A few days afterward witness handed the coat over to the police. Later King called and offered to give witness the £3/10/- back in order to save trouble. Constable A. Keid stated that, in company with Detective' Robertson, he had visited King’s premises at 82 Webb Street on May 11. When charged with the theft King said that he had bought the coat from a man in the street, and had, sold it to another man. On May 11 Baldwin went to the detective office and said that the .first he had seen of the coat was when he accompanied King to the Victoria Hotel, where King had sold the coat to Weatherburn. King and Baldwin were arrested on May 11, and about 7 o’clock that night King made a statement, in which he said that a man named “Lofty” Kane had stolen the coat from Brailsford's, and that he (King) had taken the coat home, and had later sold it to Weatherburn. The case will be continued this morning.