THE SERIAC BURGLARIES.

Evening Star, Issue 7650, 28 June 1888, Page 2

THE SERIAC BURGLARIES.

STOLEN JEWELLERY CANNOT BE RETURNED FOR SEVEN TEARS.

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, June 27.

An instance of hardship of a most exceptional character, which also applies to many other persons, has been brought under the notice of the Minister of Justice by Mr Monk. In February last a number of dwelling houses in Auckland were broken into and an immense quantity of valuable jewellery stolen. It subsequently transpired that the robber was a Belgian named Seriac, who escaped to Sydney with a sugar-bag full of valuable booty. Seriac resumed his crimes in Sydney, and was arrested and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. Intelligence has now come to hand that the jewellery is to be sent back to this colony for identification, and that the owners must wait till the expiration of Seriac's sentence before they can regain possession of their property. The case specially brought under the notice of the Minister is that of Mr T. C. Urquhart, who laments the loss of a lady's gold watch, a silver chain, a gold bracelet, and a gold watch valued at L2O. Mr Urquhart also represented the loss from his house of a lady's gold watch, bracelet, and black chain, value LlO, the property of Miss M'Pherson. Mr Monk has urged the hardship entailed in this, and many other owners of the stolen jewellery, which amounts in value altogether to some hundreds of pounds, in having to wait for seven years for a return of their valuables. The Minister promises to look into the matter and see if anything can be done. The reason for the seven years' delay is that the New Zealand police intend to arrest Seriac when he has served his seven years' term in Sydney, and present him here for his burglaries in Auckland.