TWO MONTHS’ GAOL

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 January 1939, Page 2

TWO MONTHS’ GAOL

THEFT AT GItEY IVfOUTI I. In liie. Magistrate's Court. at Greymouth, to-day. before Messrs .1. M Bunt mill M. .1. Fogarty. J’s.l’.. .John Chapman. a. native uf Australia, aged 27 years, described as a labourer, with no fixoil .abode, was charged that. on .January 5, 1939, at Grey mouth, he di.l steal £2 in money, the property oi Robert Turnbull Walton. Accused pleaded guilty. Detective-Sergeant 11. E. Knight said that, on January 5, accused was boarding at. a local boardinghouse and occupying a room with Walton. On that dale, about 4 p.m., Walton rt • tired to bed. leaving Hie sum of £3 in tile pocket of his trousers. hanging behind tin.' door. Accused mitered the room while Walton was asleep and stole £2 of the money from the trousers. When interviewed, he. admitted the theft immediately and it had been intended to bring him before the Court, on summons, on February (i. He was served yesterday with a summons to that, effect and this morning he loft the boardinghouse- through the back window, leaving his board unpaid. He gave up his job and was waiting for the wages due to him when ho was accosted by him (D:'lective Sergeant Knight i. As it appeared. that he was about to leave the district, .in which he had no stake, he was arrested. A cheque to cover Ills wages of £4 had been collected. The accused was before the Court at Timaru on April 28 last, year for attempted theft, and was sentenced .o six weeks' imprisonment. He was discharged on June' 1 and came to the West. Coast where he had been ever since. Beyond that, nothing' was known about him.

In reply to the Bench. accused stated that, he had nothing to say. The Detective-Sergeant said that accused had stated his willingness to make restitution of the £2 out of the cheque.

Mr Bunt said that the decision of the Benclt wa.s that, accused would be convicted and ordered to make restitution of the £2. In view of the fact that he had recently served a sentence of six weeks for attempted theft, and this was a more- serious offence. for which ho was liable to imprisonment. not exceeding three months, he would he sentenced to two mon th s’ impriso nmen t.