PETONE ROBBERY

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 28, 27 October 1932, Page 11

PETONE ROBBERY

i Quantity of Jewellery “RECEIVING” CHARGES “Spur-of-the-Moment” Story 1 ■ —- l A sequel to a robbery at a jeweller’s . shop at Petone is occupying the attention of Mr. Justice MacGregor and a jury at the Supreme Court. The case will be concluded this morning. Charges of receiving stolen jewellery knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained were preferred against Thoma* Fearon, 34, barman, and Joseph Armadeo Millanta, 23, painter, both of whom pleaded not guilty. Mr. K. E. Pope appeared for Fearon and Mr. R. H. Boys for Millanta. Mr. P. S. K. Macassey, Crown Prosecutor, said the jewellery formed part 'of the proceeds of a robbery from the premises of Mr. Charles Norman Smith, jeweller, Petone. The articles concerned were valued at £3O/19/-, but a good deal of the property had not been recovered. Fearon took the jewellery produced to Jenness and Partridge, Cuba Street, Millanta remaining outside. A detective arrived, and to him Fearon said the articles belonged to a friend of his outside the shop. The officer went to Millanta, who told him then that he had found the jewellery under a seat at Oriental Bay. The men were taken to the police station, where various statements were made. Frederick Jenness, of Jenness and Partridge, said there was about three ounces of gold in the parcel Fearon brought to him. Witness said he had no recollection of any previous transaction with Fearon, although he was in the shop on one occasion about three months earlier. Detective’s Evidence. Detective T. Smith, who saw Fearon and Millanta at the jeweller’s shop in Cuba Street, said that after Millanta had stated he found the jewellery under a seat at Oriental Bay he asked him why he did not hand it over to the police. Millanta replied that he did not thing it was worth much. The jewellery was broken up the previous evening. Replying to Mr. Boys, witness said Millanta’s statement was that “we” broke the jewellery up, not “he.” Later at the detective office Millanta might have said he had had nothing to do with the jewellery, and did say something about Fearon owing him money. Mr. Boys, for Millanta, said on the night prior to the attempt to dispose of jewellery Fearon telephoned Millanta for a loan of £2, to enable him to put through a deal. Millanta went to Fearon’s place with the money, and while there a man called and went into the bedroom 'With Fearon. The deal was apparently concluded, as the man left a few minutes later. He was not seen by Millanta, who denied knowing what the deal was about. It was only the next morning when he went to see Fearon about getting back his £2 that he saw the jewellery on the bed. Having a pair of pliers on him he lent them to Fearon, but took no part in breaking it up. The statement made outside the jeweller’s shop by about finding the jewellery under a seat at Oriental Bay was not true. He had seen the detective at the jeweller’s shop and tried to play up to what he thought Fearon might have told the police, making up the story on the ; spur of the moment. There was no ; question of sharing the jewellery or : the proceeds with Fearon. 1 Millanta in Box. i Millanta gave evidence ori the lines ' indicated by his counsel. In reply to the Crown Prosecutor, he said when he saw the watches, bangles and other things on the following morning it did not enter his mind that they had been stolen. The Crown Prosecutor asked witness why he told the detective he found the jewellery at Oriental Bay. Witness replied that the detective told him that Fearon had said he (Millanta) found it at Oriental Bay, so ho thought he had.better keep to that. So < far as the pliers were concerned he 1 was in the habit of carrying them about 1 with him along with other tools. ( The hearing will be concluded to- ’ day. 1