DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1945, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

ARMED HOLD-UP OPOTIKI, July 25. Two armed youths, aged sixteen, last night held up motorists on Otara Road. The driver, Cedric Horton, was struck on the head with the butt of a rifle, while the passenger, Miss Joselind Morice, was bound hand and foot and gagged. The youths wore masks, ft is understood that they escaped from detention, and were being sought by the police. THEFT OF £8740. WELLINGTON, July 24. The retrial of Lionel Clifford Nimmo, aged 36, an auctioneer, and Clarence Haigh, aged 49, a clerk, on a charge of the theft as servants of £8740 from Townsend and Paul, Ltd., was concluded in the Supreme Court to-day, when the jury, after being unabie to agree, were sent back by the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), and eventually returned with a verdict of guilty, with a strong recommendation to mercy. The evidence closely followed that of the previous trial, when the jury were unable to agree. “As far as your verdict is concerned, it is obviously right,” said the Chief Justice to to-day s jury. “No honest man could have come to any other conclusion.” The prisoners were remanded until Friday for sentence. PLANE CONVERSION. AUCKLAND, July 24. Arising out of the destruction by fire at Mangere aerodrome on May 13 of a Lockheed Lodestar monoplane valued at £40,000, the property of Union Airways, Ltd., a single man, Frederick Demchy, aged 18, came before Mr. Justice Cornish in the Supreme Court to-day. He admitted a charge of unlawfully converting the monoplane to his own use. To charges of stealing and wilfully destroying the monoplane he pleaded not guilty. Mr. V. R. Meredith, the Crown Prosecutor, said the Crown had decided to accept the pleadings. ’ His Honor said he had instructed the grand jury to consider returning a true bill only on the conversion charge, and ho thought it was proper for the Crown to stay the proceedings on the other counts. The accused was remanded for sentence.