REVERSION TO PRIMITIVE

Evening Star, Issue 23174, 25 January 1939, Page 9

REVERSION TO PRIMITIVE

MAORI CONVERTS CARS TO COMMIT SUICIDE [Pek United Press Association.] HASTINGS, January 24, The mystery surrounding the conversion of two cars in Hastings on January 14, both of which were smashed up and in one of which bbodstains were found, was cleared up in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when ' Timatx Paraire Tunun. a Maori labourer, aged 23, appeared before Mr J. Miller, S.M., on two charges of unlawfully converting motor cars to his own use. Detective-sergeant L. B. Revell said that about noon of January 14 Tunua came to Hastings after a drinking bout. He took a car from outside the Hastings Post Office and drove it to the intersection of Heretaunga street and Riverslea road, where he collided with a parked car. After running across the

road the car crashed through three fences and stopped in a vacant section. Tunua escaped injury in this smash and immediately went to St. Aubyn street, where he took another car. He drove it only about 100yds and then ran into a tree, receiving slight injuries which apparently were responsible for the bloodstains in the ear. Detective-sergeant Revell said that Tunua’s explanation was that he had got very drunk and had had a quarrel with a girl with whom he was friendly. He decided to commit suicide and had chosen this method. Mr J. 11, Double, with whose car Tunua had collided, had been fortunate to escape serious injury, and the defendant was lucky he was not facing a more serious charge. The Detective Sergeant told the court that the damage to the two cars amounted to £125. Counsel for the defendant said that Tunua was of low mentality, and asked the magistrate to consider the fact that under the influence of liquor such minds were apt to revert to savagery. It is difficult to know what to do with you,” said the Magistrate, ad-

dressing Tunua. “ I have to take into consideration that there are so many of these offences and that they are very difficult to detect. The Act was recently altered to make the penalties more severe, and in the circumstances I feel I must impose a term of imprisonment.” Tunua was sentenced to 18 months’ reformative detention on tho first charge, and on the second he was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months.