YOUTHS' CRIMES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 6

YOUTHS' CRIMES

BREAKING AND ENTERING

THEFTS IN HUTT VALLEY

Goods of a total value of over £080 are involved in a series of crimes alleged by the police to have been committed by three young men, Robert Meyncll Calvert, an electrician (aged 21), William Gladstone Thorns, an eloetrician (aged 21), and William Francis Calvert, a carpenter (aged 23). The three men appeared before Mr. E. Page-, S.M., in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, when ton charges of breaking and entering and theft and three of theft wore preferred against Thorns and Bobert Meynell Calvert, and five further charges of breaking and entering and theft and one of receiving stolen property against William Francis Calvert. Tho two first intimated that they intended to plead guilty to all tho charges against them, and in evidence . Detective- M'Lennau produced statements from Thorns and Bobert Meynell Calvert, in which they stated they first started breaking into shops together about six mouths ago. They had twice broken into the Wairarapa Electric Power Board's showroom in Feather-j ston, and into shops in Petone and Lower Hutt, as well as a number of garages in tho Hutt Valley They admitted all the offences, including the breaking and entering of tho AVairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association at Pahiatua. Detective M'Lennan said that in company with Dotectivo Jarrold he had arrested Robert Calvert and Thorns at the homes of their parents iv Petone, and William Calvert at his home in Eastbourne. In the possession of each of tho accused was found a quantity of goods which had recently been stolen from various shops. In his statement William Calvert had said that ono night his brother anil Thorns had come to his place and asked him to do a job with them. They had driven away in Thorns 'a car and" had decided to go to Pahiatua, whore the shop of tho Farmers' Co-operative Association was broken into and a quantity of goods stolon. He had not at any other timo broken into n shop. Some time in October his brother and Thorns had given Mm a box of electrical goods, but they would not say where they had got them from. Tho accused said that ho as. sumed the goods were stolen, but he kept them. At the conclusion of the Crown's evidence, Mr. J. S. Hunim, who appeared for William Calvert, contended that there was no ovidenco to send his client on for trial on the breaking and entering charges, with the exception of tho Paliiatua one. Sub-Inspector Ward said that there was evidence of Calvert being in recent possession of stolen goods. PBANKLY ADMITTED. , Tho Magistrate:-"What-strikes me 'about the mat tor is that lie has been frank in admitting the robbery at Pahiatua and the others do not implicate him in their statements about the other offences. I think if ho went forward tho most you could expect it to get a conviction for receiving. If ho will plead guilty to receiving I will dismiss the other charges." Mr. Hanna said that Calvert was quite definite that he did not know tho goods were stolen property when they were brought to him, and if he was sent for trial on the receiving charge the matter would be contested. Tho Magistrate: "I think the proper courso, then, is to sond the depositions on and let the Crown frame the charges. Thero is evidence hero of an indictablo offence, and tho wholo Of the evidence will havo to be gono into." William Francis Calvert was accordingly committed to the Supreme Court for trial, and Thomas and Eobert Meynell Calvert to tho Supromo Court for sentence. All three accused were remanded to appear at Pahiatua ou sth December in connection with tho Farmers' Co* oporativo Association robbery.