SAD AWAKENING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 118, 20 May 1932, Page 9

SAD AWAKENING

AFTER DAY IN HOTEL

MAN LOSES £40

. When Eddie-.. Beattie woke up in ?i strange boarding-house in. Hobson street, Auckland, after spending a considerable time in a hotel in that city on 21st April, he. found that £40 had been stolen from his pockets. A complaiut was made to the police, -with the result that Patrick .Joseph Ryan, a labourer, aged 24, was arrested in 'Wellington and charged before Mr. *"E. Page, S.M., at the- Magistrate's Court to-day with stealing £7 in money, the property of Beattie.

I'Sub-Inspector' "Ward said that on 21st April, Bcattie went to Auckland and cashed a cheque for £56. He began drinking, and made the acquaintance of the accused. Beattie gave the accused £1 to buy something. The accused did not get it, but Beattio met him again am'bthey had some more drinka together. Beattie said that the next thing ho remembered was when, he woke up in a boarding-house in Hobson street and found that £40 odd had been stolen from his pockets. The accused left Auckland the nest day and came to Wellington. After his arrest tho.accus.ed admitted that he had taken Beattie to the boarding-house and removed £6 from his. pockets. He denied that he had taken £40.

On 28th April, said Mr. Ward,, the accused was sentenced to one month's imprisonment for assaulting the police; He had a very long "list," and'on two occasions hadlvson convicted of theft.

Counsel for the accused said that it was four years since Ryan had been convicted of any -offence involving dishonesty, and up till a month ago he had been in regular employment. The assault on which the accused was convicted had nothing to do with the recent disturbances. ■

»Mr.' Pago sentenced the accused to six months' imprisonment.