CAR CONVERSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 133, 8 June 1939, Page 15

CAR CONVERSIONS

SEVERAL CHARGES

MAGISTRATE'S COMMENT

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) j •BLENHEIM, This Day. ! Three cases involving motor-car conversion came before the Magistrate, Mr. T. E. .Maunsell, in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. Reginald George Blomfeld and Edward Ronald Bennett pleaded guilty to converting at Nelson, on June 1, a motor-car valued at £300 belonging to Mr. H. L. Harley. "These men are criminals. I suggest that they be punished to the full extent of the law," said Senior-Sergeant Smyth. "When arrested they had in their possession a full equipment for burglary, including jemmies, gelignite, detonators, fuses, and torches." The police described how a general warning was issued from Nelson when the car was missed. The accused, it was stated, were seen switching number plates in Blenheim, but realising that a constable had seen them they left town hurriedly, going in the direction of Kaikoura. Traffic-Inspector Laird gave chase, but when overtaken they refused to stop. The inspector had to force them into a bank.

Counsel for Bennett pleaded leniency lor his client, who was in Court with his eyes bandaged, stating that he would soon go blind if he did not rqceive frequent medical treatment. Counsel applied for Bennett's committal to a hospital. The Magistrate replied that he had no power to grant such an application. While the accused's blindness was a distressing feature of the case it was entirely due to the loathsome, i. noral life he had led. In his opinion both the accused were blackguards who should never be at liberty. He imposed a sentence of twelve months' imprisonment on each

Two years' Borstal detention and a year's probation respectively were the sentences imposed upon Gordon Robert Dunn, 22, and lan Alexander Duncan, 18, who admitted the conversion of two motor-cars. The heavier sentence was imposed on Dunn, who was regarded as the ringleader. Another lad in the case was dealt with in the Children's Court. It was stated that the defendants used one car to drive to Lyttelton. where they were arrested. Three eh. --ges of car conversion and one of theft were admitted by Ross Harris, farm labourer. It was claimed that Harris had fallen into bad company and had been drinking. He was admitted to probation.