BORSTAL ESCAPEE

Evening Star, Issue 23452, 18 December 1939, Page 6

BORSTAL ESCAPEE

"A DESPERATE YOUNG CRIMINAL’’ A SERIES OF (SHAMES Described by Sergeant-detective T. Y, Hall as a desperate young criminal, against whom further charges would, be preferred at Invercargill, Stanley (Raymond O’Connell (20), • pleaded guilty in the Police Court this morning to three charges of theft, one of unlawful conversion of a motor car, and to escaping from lawful custody. _ . Sergeant-detectxye Hall said that the accused, accompanied, by another youth who had already been dealt with ■ by the court, escaped from the- Borstal Institution at Invercargill on November 8. They had occupied a hideout ” at Gorge Creek, from which, O’Connell had rallied forth on thieving expeditions, stealing clothes and money from the Public Works camps and elsewhere. Following this the accused had taken a motor car belonging to the Rev. Mr Irwin while the service wa» in progress at the church in Roxburgh. The car had been abandoned after the two youths had been chased by the police at Palmerston. O’Connell had then got to Dunedin, and while in the Botanic Gardens on November 23 had stolen a purse which a lady had left on the seat of her motor car while she visited the winter garden. .Later, the accused had committed several offences at or near Christchurch, and had been sentenced there te a further 12 months’ in addition to bring convicted and discharged on II other charges. ; „ t< „ The magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle) said that, as all the facts told previously be placed before the courts when the accused - was dealt with on the charge of escaping from custodyon which he would be remanded to appear at Invercargill—the proper course would be to enter a conviction only on all the other charges.