TRIAL OF TAXI-DEIVER

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 103, 28 October 1932, Page 9

TRIAL OF TAXI-DEIVER

TWO YEARS FOR RECEIVING

Fifteen witnesses, nine for the Crown and six for the defence, including the aceusdd himself, gave evidence at the trial in the Supreme Court bofore Mr. Justice MacGrcgor and a jury of Chester Lincoln Nazclrod, a taxidriver, aged 31, known to. some'of the witnesses as "Slim Linpoln," on charges pf breaking and entering and receiving stolen property, knowing it to have been, dishonestly obtained. The trial,^occupied the greater.part of yesterday and was not concluded until this morning. Nazelrod, who was represented by Mr. J. F. Paul, was found not guilty of breaking and entering and guilty on tho two charges of receiving. The prisoner was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Nazelrod was charged that, in company with John George Furcy and Francis Xavier Tohill, both of "whom had pleaded guilty, he broke and entered Mrs. Amy Dwan's residence in Queen's Drive, Lyall Bay, and stole goods valued at £367 9s. There was an alternative charge against him of receiving some of the articles, and a further charge of having received a ruby and diamond ring valued at £4, the property of William Holmes Wakelin, of Kilbirriie, knowing.it to have been dishonestly obtained. ', ■ .

Part of the evidence for the Crown was reported in yesterday's "Post." Pour further witnesses were called in tho afternoon-—Mr. Wakelin, and Detectives Ritchie, Smith; and Campin. Evidence given by ' Nazelrod was that he was nowhere near Mrs. Dwan's house on the night of,, 16th , August, the date on which the house was broken into. He denied having received anything from the prisoner Tohill knowing at the time that it was stolen property.

He was asked by the Crown Prosecutor (Mr. P. S. K. Macassey) why; when, as he had said, he sold a camera (identified by Mrs. Dwan as her property) to a second-hand dealer in Manners street on behalf of Tohill he gave a false name and address and made the false statement that he bought the camera in Canada.

Nazelrod Replied that he always gave a false name when he did business in a pawn shop. As for the camera, he said he bought it in Canada because it was the only reason he could give at the time.

In 'answer .to further questions, Nazelrod contradicted parts of the evidence given by Crown witnesses.

The other evidence for the defence was called with a view to establishing Nazelrod's movements on 16th August. Witnesses stated that the accused was engaged in relining the brakes of a motor-car that day and did not leave the taxi company's premises until about 10 o'clock at night. Further evidence was that the accused slept at the Wellington City Mission that night, and it was a rule that the men had to be in by 10.30 p.m. or just afterward.

Prior to sentence being passed, Mr. Macassey said that the police gave Nazelrod a bad character. They said ho was a menace to young girls.