SEASIDE BURGLARIES

Evening Star, Issue 20983, 23 December 1931, Page 8

SEASIDE BURGLARIES

HUSBAND AND WIFE CHARGED f AN EXTENSIVE HAUL For some three years past owners of seaside residences at Kantane, Merton, Seacliff, and other holiday resorts have complained to the police that their houses had been broken into and various articles stolen. Yesterday Detective Russell, witli Constable Hayward (of Waikouaiti); and Constable Souter (of Waitati), arrested Kenneth Duncan M'Kenzie and his wife, Elizabeth Marion MfKenzie, who were charged in the Police Court this morning, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., with breaking and entering the house of Charles Deans Hudson at Merton on December 14 and stealing 51b of tea and a quantity of other goods of a total value of £6 10s 6d. Detective-sergeant Nuttall stated that there would probably be sixteen or twenty similar charges preferred against the two'accused extending over a period of three and a-half years throughout Knritaiie, Merton, Warrington, Seacliff, Evansdale, and Portobello districts. There was a matter of some hundreds of pounds of property involved, and at the present time the police had recovered only about a quarter of that amount. The male accused, said the detective sergeant, was a foreman employed by, the Public Works Department, and had lived at Evansdale with his wife. They had ito family. The two accused had been quite frank, and were prepared to give every assistance in recovering as much of the stolen property as possible. Some twelve or fourteen offences had been admitted. Mr Nuttall asked for a remand till January 15. • Counsel for the accused asked for the suppression of the accused’s names until the hearing of the case, but the magistrate said it was not a case fop suppression. The remand asked for was granted, bail being allowed in each of the accused’s own recognisance of £IOO and one surety of £IOO or two of £SO, a condition being that they report daily, to the police. Detective-sergeant Nuttall points out that much of the stolen property has been recovered, and owners or places at Karitane, Merton, Seacliff, Warrington, Evansdale, and the hays of the " Peninsula whose houses - have been broken into in the past three and a-half years should communicate with the detective office.