MENTAL ESCAPEE CHARGED

Evening Star, Issue 22683, 24 June 1937, Page 6

MENTAL ESCAPEE CHARGED

BURGLARIES AT CITY SCHOOLS SEMEI TO YOUNG SAN'S THEFTS Tho sequel to a series of burglaries at a number of city schools was heard in the Police Court to-day when Cyril Potter (27) pleaded guilty to breaking and entering by night, and theft from, a number of educational institutions, the accused being committed to tho Supreme Court for sentence. It was stated by Chief-detective Young; who prosecuted, that the accused had been ordered 18 months’ reformative detention in October last, but had been transferred from gaol to a mental institution in Christchurch from which he escaped in February last. The magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle) committed the accused for sentence and suggested that tho matter should be put by tho police before the controller of prisons, and if the accused was still under reformative detention ho could bo transferred to an institution, pending his appearance in the Supreme Court for sentence. He added that otherwise lie would place the matter before the Minister of Justice to have the accused detained in an institution pending sentence. The assortment of goods stolen were produced in court and including a number of footballs, boxing gloves, and school jerseys.

The following charges of breaking and entering by night and theft w.ere made against Potter:—March 26, Dunedin North Intermediate School, goods valued at 10s; May 16, Home Science School, £1 and goods of a total value of £4; May 30, North-east Valley School, goods £1 15s; June 2, Arthur Street School, 12s and goods of total value of £6; Otago Boys’ High School, cheque and goods valued at £7; on or about June 3, High Street School, goods valued at £4; June 5, George Street School, goods valued at £1 10s. Potter was also summarily charged with the theft on or about May 28 of goods valued at £1 10s, the property of Thelma Jefcoate; the theft on or about the same date of a pair of football boots, valued at £1 3s, the property of William Gerard Skinner; on or about June 3, theft of an overcoat, valued at £5 ss, the property of Alan Winstanley Wilkin ; on or about June 5, theft of bicycle, valued at £3, property of John George Grant. On the application of the chiefdetective the summary charges were adjourned sine die, until the indictable charges were dealt with. Evidence was given by William Arthur Sproat (in reference to the Dunedin North Intermediate School), Dulcie Arahel Rodger (North-east Valley School), John Ironside (Arthur Street School!, William Grant (High Street School), Cuthbert Frederick Arnold (George Street School), all of whom are teachers, and by John Waddell Hayward (assistant-registrar of Otago University) and David M'Kewan Hall Hanlin (caretaker at Otago Boys’ High School). During the hearing of evidence, the magistrate suggested that. it hardly seemed necessary to go into,, all the charges, the chief-detective stating that so far as they were concerned this seemed to bo the only method they had of dealing with the matter. The police had the property and had to get rid of it.

The magistrate said there was no difficulty about that. There might be a difficulty about accepting the accused’s plea. Mr Young said that although', the accused was not normal by any means he knew the legal position. He knew that what he had. done was wrong; Detective Gibson gave evidence that on the night of June 8 he arrested the accused in an unoccupied house in the Main North road where he was then living. At the time of accused’s arrest, wjtness found in his _ possession the articles (produced), which he admitted he had stolen from schools he had broken into in Dunedin. He later made a statement admitting the offences mentioned in the charges. In five cases he had entered the schools by ■ opening windows and in the other two cases ho had gained access by means of unlocked doors.

The accused pleaded guilty to all the

The chief-detective said that the accused was 26, and was sentenced to 18 months’ reformative detention on October 2 last at Christchurch. He had escaped from a mental hospital in February of Ibis year. He certainly wanted keeping under control and not being allowed to roam about the country. The accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, the magistrate making the remarks concerning his detention meantime, as given above.