THEFT OF BOOTS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 53, 31 August 1925, Page 8

THEFT OF BOOTS

"ENCOURAGING THEFT."

. An interlude occarreti during the hearing of a case in this Magistrate's Court to-day, when Mr. C. K. "Orr Walker, 5.M... made some pointed remarks in regard to a. second-hivnd dealer. The. case was . one in which Arthur Miles, ..a young .man, answered two charges of the "theft of two pairs of j boots valued at £1 5s 6d and 17s 6d respectively.. • : - , The. complainant in the first case.was Arthur Carver, who said. he missed the boots from his shop, but did not . remember the accused -purchasing, them. The next witness was Eli Baroukh, a .sncond-hand dealer, who said he thought J the accused sold him- the- boots.' Witness said he saw the accused in the Detective Office, and later identified him in an identification, parade. , His.Worship, remarked that it.was a rough ucd ready method of idealifka.t.iou,. ■• t Later in,his evidence, witness said he bonsfht the- boots -for. 10s. . j "For 10s?" echoed his Worship, "and II; s retail value was sworn at £1 5s 6d.'V ..-■■■• j Witness said -second-hand. dealers always had suspicions vdien they bought ! things;. "As far as I'm concerned you won't I get your 10a back," observed the Magistrate. ■; "You are the sort who encourage theft. Stand- down." I Tile charge was dismissed, and tho boots were ordered to be returned to" the owner. • i- In..regard .to the. second charge, evidence was, given by Sidney Woodward. [ a second-hand dealer, who said that the accused 'offered'him the boots ior 175.. Witness refused to buy them. Marie Meit, also a second-hand dealer, said she purchased the',boots from the accused for 09 - A conviction was entered on a second charge, and Miles pwas sentenced to one ■ month's imprisonment with hard lab o.uor. . "This woman had uo right to take th? boots," remarked .Sis Worship, when refusing to make. au order that Meit b* reimbursed the Gs. "J am not going to encourage this sort of thing."