"THREE YOUNG FOOLS"

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 54, 12 September 1928, Page 9

"THREE YOUNG FOOLS"

THEFTS FROM WAREHOUSE Three young men who had stolen goods valued at £59 5s 7d from a city firm, came before Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., in tho Magistrate's Court to-day. Two other charges of having received stolen goods of a value of £10 5s were also made against one of them. They all pleaded guilty. Sub-Inspector Lander said that one youth, whose age was 19, had been employed for about four years by the firm. The information stated that he had stolen goods of a value of £25 3s lid, but £13 6s lid worth had been recovered. When he stole the goods ho apparently gave them to sevoral men and received certain value or other goods in return. Tho second accused, who was single, was 23 years of ago, and he had been working for the firm for about eight years. For some time he had also been stealing goods from the firm. Some he took to his homo, and others he traded for value. Goods in his care of a total value of £12 Is 8d had been recovered, leaving about £20 worth still unaccounted for. The third, aged 21, was formerly employed by the firm, but he was now working for another. He stole £2 worth of goods, all of which had been recovered. Since leaving the firm he had apparently kept in touch with the other two defendants. He had received goods from them, and in return he took goods belonging to his present employ-' er, who, however, did not desire to take proceedings. When questioned by the police they were all frank and truthful, and had assisted in the recovering of as much of the stolen property as possible. Neither of them had been before the Court previously. Counsel for the accused addressed the Court. It was with a good deal of hesitation, said the Probation Officer (Mr. T. P. Mills), that he recommended probation. Thefts from employers were rife. However, tho' defendants wero not of the larrikin class, and probably they would bo all right if placed on probation for a substantial period. The serious olement of the case, said Mr. Salmon, was that the thefts appeared to have been going on over a poriod of time, and also that tho amounts stolen or received in each case were considerable. Another serious element was that undoubtedly the defendants had been acting in concert. However, in view of their ages and the recommendation of tho Probation Officer, and also the fact that they wero apparently Jed by older meninto their lapses, the Court might bo justified in granting probation, though he ilifl so with sonio hesitation. KacJi of the accused was grouted two yirars' probation, and two oi! the accused wero ordered to muko restitution of £10 and £20 respectively. The other was convicted on each of the other two charges against him.