TELEPHONE BOX THIEF

Evening Star, Issue 21317, 23 January 1933, Page 3

TELEPHONE BOX THIEF

REMARKABLE ROBBERIES MAN WITH A DIARY. Startling figures of robberies of London telephone boxes wore given at the Old Hailey rcrontly in a case in whicu Mr John Maude, prosecuting, remarked “ I think it is clear that we have caught the arch-thief.” The individual he referred to, Stanley Chambers, aged thirty-nine, wireless dealer, was sentenced to three years’ penal servitude lor stealing £1 Kis 5d from a box at Putney. Chambers, it was stated, was seen to go into tbo Putney telephone box on four occasions. Anotner man was with him, and when two constables went to arrest them the second man Hung a bag into the face of one officer and escaped. Inside the bag was £1 18s fid. Mr John Maude stated that in August last there were 175 robberies oi London telephe.no boxes, the money stolen amounting to £3lB. In September there were 108 robberies, £L)U being stolen, and up to October 15 when Chambers was _ arrested —-tnere were sixty-two robberies, £124 being taken. Since October 1.5 there had

boon only three robberies, the amount taken being £t>. In the possession of Chambers was a diary containing fifty-three entries relating to various districts of London. They coincided with robberies of telephone boxes at those places. A detective stated that Chambers was married, with five children. He had been a printer in the West End, and had published a small sporting paper. It was not a .success, and since January last he had a business in connection with the supply of wireless accumulators.

The Recorder (Sir Ernest Wild, K.C.) : Yon suspect him of being the arch-thief?

Witness; Yes, on account of the diary found in his possession. He added flint Chambers bad promised to assist toward the arrest of the second man, but had not kept his promise.

Chambers denied that the entries in the diary related to telephone box robberies. He declared they referred to horses in connection with a hotting svstcin.

Tim Recorder, passing sentence, told Chambers lie had previously boon convicted of lionsc-hreaking. and had then been dealt with lightly by being bound over.