OLYMPIC ATHLETE

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 October 1928, Page 12

OLYMPIC ATHLETE

CHASED THROUGH STREET.

LONDON, August 11.

The chase down Regent Street of one of lhe Olympic athletes was described before Mr Mead at Marlborough Street yesterday, when George Collinson Weightman-Smith, the South African hurdler, was charged with stealing a. porter’s cap, valued at £l. the property of the Criterion Restaurant, Ltd.

'rhe defendant was one of the Empire representatives at the Olympic Games, and against the United States at Stamford Bridge. • He was described on the charge sheet as twenty-two, independent, of Selwyn College, Queen’s Gate. In the Court were a. number of his friends in flannels, and one wore a green blazer edged with bright yellow braid. The defendant pleaded not guilty. After hearing particulars of the charge and Mr Weightman-Smith’s explanation, the Magistrate dismissed the case, remarking that the defendant had only himself to blame for his position. Henry Humm, an attendant at the Criterion Restaurant, said that about 11.10 on Saturday night Mr Weight-man-Smith, with a number of other men, some of whom were very drunk, tried to gain admission to the restaurant. He refused to allow them to enter.

Mr Mead: Was the prisoner the worse for drink? —No, sir..

Did they apply for admission? —Yes, they came to the door and said they wanted to come in. The others went a,way. but. this one said he was going in in any case, and tried to force his way past me.

Why did you object to his going in? —He was very excited. He tried to force his way in, and put his foot in the doorway. “As I still refused to let him in,” added witness, “he said, ‘Well, if I can’t, then 1 will have this,’ and snatched my cap from my head and ran away. (Laughter.) I gave chase, and others ran, and he was stopped at the bottom of Regent Street by a constable.” The cap was handed to the Magistrate, who remarked: “I thought you said it was worth £l.” Witness explained that the cap cost £1 when it. was new in the early part of last summer. Witness further stated that Mr. Weightman-Smith’s companions followed the crowd which chased him down Regent Street. Police-constable Barrymore said he was in Regent Street when he heard a cry of “Stop thief!” Turning in the direction from which the cries came, he saw Mr Weightman-Smith running towards him, closely followed by several others.

Mr Mead: Who was gaining?—The prisoner. (Laughter.) “When I stopped him,” the constable added, “he dropped the cap he had been carrying in his right hand.” Witness said he detained Mr Weightman-Smith, whom Humm accused of stealing a cap, and took him to Vine Street, where he was charged. He made no reply. Mr Mead: What condition was he in? He seemed bewildered at the time. He was quite sober? —Yes. Speaking from the dock, Mr Weight-man-Smith said: “The man in the box first of all suggested that some of my companions were tight. We had been to a dinner, and there was very little drink there. We were a party of six two Australians, two South Africans and two Englishmen—and none of us was the least bit tight. We went to the Criterion, not so much to have anything to drink, but. to see what was going on there. I very nicely asked if we might go in, but the two custodians closed the door. ‘“Someone had to come out, and the door had to be opened. When these people came out, the door could not be closed again because my foot was in the way. I wanted to ask the man why I could not, go in, because tliorc wcro sonic people inside I wislied to see. He was hardly genteelin fact, he was very rude indeed —and he had absolutely no business at all to refuse me the right of admission. I remonstrated with him quite nicely, and did nothing at all until I. thought I would like to see this fellow somewhere. Therefore I grabbed his hat and ran, hoping he would come after me Unfortunately there were cries of ‘Stop thief!’ and everybody in the street seemed to think it a great game to run after me. I wanted to get this man to follow me into a quiet street and to give him back his hat.” Mr Mead said that the charge of larceny had not been sustained, because a necessary ingredient of that offence was that the person who took the article intended to keep it 101 ever. “I think you did this for a sort of freak,” the Magistrate. “I cannot understand why the attendant refused you admission, unless there were something in yow demeanour that caused him to do so. He does not stand there to turn away possible customers, and J. think there must have been something about you to cause him to take up this attitude. It was a high-handed thing you did, and you have only yourself to thank for being in this position. You are discharged.