PATRONS SEARCHED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 36, 13 February 1939, Page 10

PATRONS SEARCHED

INCIDENT IN THEATRE

MONEY MISSING FROM TILL

Patrons attending a band concert at the King's Theatre last evening voluntarily invited police officers to search them while investigations were being made into the disappearance from the till of a sum of money. Several people emptied their pockets and then permitted the officers to search them. An arrest was made later. . , -

The incident was described by Detec-tive-Sergeant P. Doyle in the Magistrate's Court today when Jonas Friedlander, a war pensioner, appeared before Mr. J. H. Luxford, S.M., charged with the theft of £6, the property of the Boys' Institute Silver Band.

\ Last evening the band was giving a concert in the King's Theatre, said Detective-Sergeant Doyle, to obtain funds to enable the band to proceed to Christchurch for a competition. During the concert Mr. Dix was acting as cashier, and the money received from patrons was placed in a till inside a counter. The accused was there in the capacity of telephone attendant, the instrument being situated very close to the till.

At 8.17 p.m. Mr. Dix was called away from1 his position as cashier, and left the position for not more than two minutes, leaving the accused the only person in the vicinity of the till. At this time there was a considerable sum of money in the till, including a £5 note and single notes. Returning about two minutes later, he had occasion to open the till, immediately missed the £5 note, and said to the accused: "Some person has been to the till and got away with the money." The accused replied that a bandsman had come along and helped himself. Asked who it was, the accused said he did not know, could give no description, and refused to give any assistance in regard to pointing out this bandsman.

, The matter was subsequently reported to the police, said DetectiveSergeant Doyle, and Acting-Detectives Smith and Scott were sent along to the theatre.

A number of people were interviewed, he said, and all of them denied knowledge of the theft. Some immediately volunteered to be searched, and produced what money they had in their pockets. Several of them emptied out their pockets, and allowed the detectives to search them.

The accused was questioned, and said that he knew nothing about it. Asked what money he had. he said he had no objection to being searched, and said, "All the money I have is a few shillings in silver." He turned out his pockets, and he had £1 6s Id m silver and copper money. He said that that was all he had. At the same time he pulled out of his trousers pocket a handkerchief, and held it in his hand while the detectives were searching him. Detective Scott heard the rustle of paper, and on investigation found a £5 note and a £1 note in the handkerchief. "All I have to say is that it is my own money," said the accused when asked to give an explanation, said De-tective-Sergeant Doyle. Acting-Detective Scott, in the witness box, corroborated the detective-ser-geant's statement, At this stage the accused applied for a remand to enable him to engage counsel. He was remanded to appear tomorrow morning, and released on his own recognisance of £10, a condition being that he is to report to the police.