"RINGING THE CHANGES"

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 28, 3 February 1937, Page 19

"RINGING THE CHANGES"

FOUR MONTHS' GAOL

A BAD CRIMINAL"

A sentence.of four months' imprisonment with hard labour for the offence o£ "ringing the changes" was imposed by Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today upon Frederick Murray, aged 40 years, an Australian, described by Detective-Ser-geant P. Doyle, who prosecuted, as a bad criminal and "a man with a long list, and a' bad one." For the theft of a wallet valued at 10s 6d, and £G in money, Murray was sentenced to 14 days' hard labour. • Mr. M. G. Neal appeared as counsel for the accused, who pleaded guilty to bothJcharges. Regarding the charge described as "ringing the changes"—theft of 9s 6d from Bessie-Lear, on-September 29— Detective-Sergeant Doyle said that the accused went into Mrs. Lear's bakery shop in Newtown early in the evening and asked for a sixpenny bun. He proffered a 10s note, but when given 9s 6d in change, he said he did not want so much silver, and, leaning over, took the note from her hand. He gave her the note and- silver back and asked for a £1 note, which she gave him: It was only after she.had handed over the note that she realised she was losing on the deal, but she was too much afraid to say anything. She later reported the matter to'•the Newtown police. A' sergeant «f police had noticed the accused near the shop shortly before the offence was committed. A search was made, but the accused disappeared and was only recently located at Christchurch, where he was serving a sentence. He made a statement admitting the theft. THEFT OF WALLET. Regarding the charge of theft of a wallet and contents, Detective-Sergeant Doyle said that on the evening of October 1 the accused and two other men met the cook of the ship AngloNorse, Ludwig Louis Christopherson, in a hotel. Later in the evening, after returning to the ship, they went to another hotel to get liquor. Christopherson paid for the taxi, and apparently in replacing his wallet dropped it. The taxi-driver saw the accused pick something up and go down Jessie Street. He told Christopherson, and a search was made for the accused, who was located in Willis Street. A row occurred, the accused was knocked down, and soon afterwards disappeared, but was recently located at Christchurch, where he admitted the offence. Mr. Neal said that the accused called out that he had picked up the wallet, was told to go and get the beer, and did so. A fight occurred when he returned, he was knocked down, and the wallet was lost. It was not a theft in the ordinary sense.

Regarding the other charge, said Mr. Neal, the accused was under the influence of liquor at the time. It was his main trouble.