DISCOVERED IN CEILING

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 April 1940, Page 12

DISCOVERED IN CEILING

MAN SENT TO PRISON. [pee pbess association.] WELLINGTON, April 15. Fou,nd in the ceiling of a house in Dufferin Street at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday, Herbert Maurice Connolly, an electrician, aged 39, admitted that he was there without lawful excuse when he appeared before Mr J. L. Stout S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. After hearing the circumstances of the case, and counsel’s submissions on behalf of accused, the Magistrate convicted Connolly and sentenced him to 14 days’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Senior-Sergeant G. J. Paine said Connolly lived in Brooklyn.- He left there at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday, and went to the house in Dufferin Street. He took the front door key with him, and went upstairs and entered a cupboard, locking himself in. Movements were heard in the ceiling later on, and he was discovered there. During last year, two attempts had been made to burn down the house, which was occupied' by a woman living apart from her husband. It was known that her husband and others had been around, trying to obtain evidence for divorce proceedings; but it did not appear that accused was connected with those men.

The whole of the circumstances were most extraordinary. There was no evidence that accused' was connected with other events at the house, said Mr A. J. Mazengarb, who appeared for Connolly. It was true that attempts had been made to set fire to the premises, and that the husband was endeavouring to obtain evidence; but accused did not know the husband, and! was not concerned in the matter in any way.

Connolly was employed by the City Council as an electrician, said Mr Mazengarb, and two months ago he had done some electrical work in the house. On Saturday he was under the influence of liquor. He happened to be passing the house and went in there with the thought at the back .of his mind that he had left some tools in the attic. Apparently he went‘upstairs, heard someone talking, and locked himself in the cupboard 1 . “It is extraordinary and inexplicable,” said counsel.