REMOVAL OF CAR

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 196, 16 May 1936, Page 21

REMOVAL OF CAR

Young Man Found Not Guilty EVIDENCE FOR DEFENCE A verdict of not guilty was returned by a jury in the Supreme Court, at Wellington, yesterday in the ease in which Dudley Holdsworth Smith, engineer, aged 24, was charged with the unlawful conversion of a motor-car valued at £303, the property of William Trevor Hume, farm manager. Featherston. Tbe vehicle, which Smith was alleged to have removed, was taken from Cuba Street, Wellington, on the night of November 30, last year. Mr. Justice Blair was on the Bench. Mr. C. Evans Scott presented the case for the Crown, and Mr. F. W. Ongley appeared for accused. The trial commenced on Thursday. In opening the case for the defence, Mr. Ongley directed the attention of the jury to the fact that the Crown’s case was that the car was taken not later than, 11.30 p.m. and was driven 150 or 160 miles until 4 a.m. next day. The car taken was a fawn oue, but a service station attendant called for the Crown had said that the car driven by the accused was dark blue or black, and additional evidence would be called by the defence to prove that. Accused’s presence at 11.45 p.m., mid-' night and 2.30 a.m., would be accounted for by other witnesses. One witness who knew accused only slightly would say that he noticed accused at a party that night because ho was particularly drunk. At 11.45 p.m. accused asked him to accompany him to supper. Another man would say he saw accused arrive at and leave a cafe in a black car at midnight or later. Accused’s mother would say that he was not home at 2 a.m., but that as she was a little anxious she looked into his room at 2.35 a.m., and he was then in bed. Evidence of his father would show that his sou was home for breakfast on Sunday, December 1. Accused, in evidence, said he had been in an hotel during the afternoon of November 30, and had met some men with a car. He left the hotel at about

6 p.m., and later met the men again and went to a party in a car. He could remember leaving the party, it being the intention to go to a cafe. The men, whom he believed owned the car. went with him to supper, accused having a loan of the ear for the night. Accused purchased some petrol at the Petrol Supplies Service Station in return for kindness extended to him by these men. The car was a dark blue one. There had been some talk of finishing the night with a drive into the country, but accused, after leaving the cafe, had walked home. Accused denied having been to Levin on that night.