YOUTHFUL BANS

Evening Star, Issue 23322, 19 July 1939, Page 16

YOUTHFUL BANS

THEFTS AND CAR CONVERSIONS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TELEPHONES NINE YOUTHS IN COURT [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, July 18. “ Damage to telephones in the Hutt district by some of these youths resulted in the district being without a telephone that could be used by the public,” said Detective-sergeant P. Doyle in the Children’s Court at Wellington to-day, when nine youths were charged with the unlawful conversion of motor cars, theft, and mischief. The motor cars converted were valued at £4.745, and the damage to them was £156 10s 9d. The damage to telephone boxes was £454 7s Id, the cash stolen totalled £l9 17s 4d, and the cask recovered amounted to £4 9s. said Mr Doyle. Mr L. J. Stout, S.M., and Air's A. M‘Vicar and Mr G. L. Stewart, associates of the Children’s Court, were on the bench. The depredations would have been brought to a close earlier if the youths had not adopted cunning tactics by using stolen number plates, said the Detective Sergeant. The charges were against a youth a<*ed 19, 16 of unlawful conversion, 40 oF theft, and 14 of mischief: against a youth aged 19, one of unlawful conversion and two of theft; against a youth aged 18, three of unlawful conversion and two of theft; against a youth aged 18, two of unlawful conversion, 14 of theft, and two of mischief; against a youth aged 17, five of unlawful conversion; against a hoy aged 16, 16 of unlawful conversion. 27 of theft, and three of mischief; against a boy aged 16, seven of unlawful conversion, 21 of theft, and one of mischief ; against a hoy aged 15. 14 of unlawful conversion, 28 of theft, and 14 of mischief; and against a boy aged 15, five of unlawful conversion and two of theft.

A youth with ft big list was committed to the Borstal Institution for three years; two were placed on probation for three years, with a condition that they must not own or drive a motor vehicle during their probation; another was placed on probation for two years, with the same condition; and a fifth was placed on probation for 18 months. The four youngest accused wore committed to the care of the superintendent of the Child Welfare Department. After detailing the charges _ Detec-tive-sergeant Doyle said that in four cases the motor cars stolen were the property of doctors, and in one case a doctor had been deprived of the use of his car for about two weeks while repairs were made. Through changing the number plates of the motor oars recovery had been delayed till the theft of the stolen plates had been reported to the police, and in some cases the owners had ‘ been deprived of the use of their vehicles for periods approaching a week, am] in other cases longer. It was also apparent from the condition of the oars that they had been driven at a great speed. The Post and Telegraph Department was not in a position to replace the boxes, so that the inconvenience caused to the department was considerable. A staff of detectives had also been engaged night and day for at least a fortnight endeavouring to detect the offenders.

When finally interviewed. Mr Doyle said, some of the youths frankly admitted to Detective J. G. Long that they knew the police cars and in some oases the numbers of the cars. That was why they evaded detection for so louse.

The youths belonged to a gang that operated in one particular district. Most of them lived in one district, and had been constantly associating with each other for a considerable period. All the juveniles had been under supervision before and seemed to have treated it as a kind of joke, said Mr Stout in committing the four youngest offenders to the care of the "superintendent of the Child Welfare Department. Two of them had previously been connected with ear conversions, and must have realised the seriousness of that charge. People had to be protected from their raids. The youth with the biggest list had been given a chance before, and must have committed the offences with his eyes open. He must have realised the seriousness of car conversion and of the damage to other,people’s property. He was the worst offender of the nine.

“ This is reallv the most serious list I have ever had to deal with in the Children’s Court,” the Magistrate added. “ and I trust it will be a Jong time before anything similar comes before the court.”