AMATEURISH BURGLAR

Evening Star, Issue 22192, 21 November 1935, Page 10

AMATEURISH BURGLAR

UNSUCCESSFUL ESSAY AT ROBBERY An amateurish and unsuccessful attempt to force open a safe in M'Kinlay’s Footwear Factory led to the appearance of a young man named Alexander Walter Kilpatrick .in the Police Court this morning. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to 'a charge of attempting to steal 4s 6d from the firm. Chief-detective Young stated that the accused was employed by M‘Kinlay’s in September,'and on the night of the ,25th went back to the premises, climbed on to the roof, and entered the factory through a back window. He collected some tools and made a rather feeble attempt to force the safe, in which there was 4s fid in money, but only succeeded in breaking the tools. „ He also opened a registered letter but there was no money in it. Kilpatrick left Dunedin shortly after and was subsequently located at Frankton Junction. When he was interviewed about this, lie admitted the offence. It was also discovered that he had stolen some articles from his employer :vt Frankton, and was there sentenced to two years in the Borstal. In view of this, the Chief-detective preferred a change of attempted theft rather than the indictable charge of breaking and entering. The accused was now en route to Invercargill to serve the period of reformative detention. Kilpatrick was convicted and discharged.