LONG LIST OF THEFTS

Evening Star, Issue 18392, 28 September 1923, Page 4

LONG LIST OF THEFTS

RABBITSKINS VALUED AT £1.300,

TWO, YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT.

No fewer than eighteen charges of breaking, entering, and thieving rabbitskins of a value of £1,511 17s Id were brought against a young man named James Nicholas Gordon Hoskin in the Supremo Court this morning. Tho skins wore stolen from Messrs Kirk and Co., Invercargill. Accused, who pleaded guilty in the lower court at Invercargill, appeared for sentence to-day before His Honor Mr Justice Sim. Mr W. G. Hay, who appeared for accused, said Hoskin, was twenty-nine years of ago, and apparently came from respectable antecedents. His father, who was manager of a sheep run, had been in Now Zealand for fifty years, and bad borne an honorable name. This misguided young man had been guilty of persistent thefts, in which it seemed that he had been associated with others. At first he made incorrect statements to the police, and afterwards had to alter them. Accused said ho got in touch with a man named Morton; that ho played poker with Morton, and won a considerable sum of money ; and that Morton mot his obligation by giving accused rabbitskins. Accused sain tho man .Morton stated that he war- employed by Meers Kirk and Co, Unfortunately a man named Morton had once boon employed by Kirk and Go., but had been dead some time, and the man named by accused could not have boon the same man'. Accused also mentioned tho name of a man Gordon as one who was supposed to have got sonic of the proceeds *of the robberies. Accused had been in trouble once as a boy, ami at The ago of eleven had been committed to the Indue trial School for the theft of a rifle. He had had four and a-half years’ war sendee, and his relatives were of tho opinion that it did not do him much good, as after his return ho was independent and reserved, and did not take his family into his con fidenco. Learned counsel wont on to say that in Dunedin accused had moved among decent people, who were surprised that ho had turned out so badly. Mr Hav con. chided by slating that 'ho could ask for leniency for accused only on account of his youth and his family.

Mr F. B. Adams (C rown Prosecutor' said the police file in regard to accused had not come to hand. 'However, there was a conviction against accused in 1907 of breaking, entering, and theft, and he was sent to Burnham. In tho present case there was a long list of crimes spread over a period of three years. They showed a systematic courso of thieving from the oneparty. The value of the rabbitskins stolen amounted to over £1,500, and the police were not sure that that was the'full amount. Nor did tho police think they bad had anything like a full disclosure from accused. Learned counsel went on to give details of accused's banking account, and pointed out that some of the deposits wore of the same amount as the amounts in respect to some of the charges. Accused had also purchased' for £l£o a motor car, which was now in a garage in, Dunedin. There was no corroboration in regard to the existence of the man Morton. A man of that name bad been a partner in tho firm of Kirk and Co., but had been dead for some time. Accused had been shown a photograph of tho dead man, but could not identify him. It seemed dear that accused had had a confederate, but would not disclose who it was. The result was that Kirk and Co. were left in a doubtful situation, from which accused, had ho chosen, could have saved them.

His Honor said accused had pleaded guilty to the systematic theft of rabbitskins from Kirk and, Co., Invercargill, for a period of three years, tho value of the skins being over £1.3C0. It appeared that accused had been living on the proceeds of the thefts, -arid when* brought to book did not tell the police the whole truth, but told lies with a view to imnlioating other people. It seemed to bo a case for a term of imprisonment. Accused would bo sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, with hard labor, on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent.