THEFT FROM SHOPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 11

THEFT FROM SHOPS

WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, This Day.

' "When a detective visited a room occupied by the defendant in Rose Road, Ponsonby, it had all the appearances of a warehouse," said DetectiveSergeant Walsh in the Police Court, when Agnes Inglis Ramsay, domestic, aged 47, pleaded guilty to twelve charges of theft of goods from city stores, of a total value of £42.

Detective-Sergeant Walsh said that Ramsay had gone from shop to shop making purchases and stealing a quantity of other articles. Her bankbook showed a credit of £200. She had been employed by a city firm for some time at £2 a week.

Pleading for leniency, Mr. Aekins said that the case was one of kleptomania, which opinion, was supported by a medical. certificate. The accused did not wear the goods stolen but put them away carefully.

Mr. C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., said he did not feei he was capable of forming an opinion as to whether the defendant was a kleptomaniac in regard to certain of the offences. He. would commit her to reformative treatment and forward to the Prison's Board the medical evidence, leaving the board to take the responsibility. The public must be protected, even against kleptomaniacs.

The Magistrate committeed the accused to reformative treatment for nine months. On some of the charges Ramsay was admitted to probation for two years on condition that she did not enter departmental stores unless accompanied by a person approved by the probation officer.