serious View is TAKEN OF THEFT FROM SHIP’S STORES

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 October 1947, Page 3

serious View is TAKEN OF THEFT FROM SHIP’S STORES

The seriousness of thefts from the stores of vessels trading at Greymouth was emphasised by Detective, Sergeant N. Thompson yesterday afternoon, when three men, including a member of the crew, were charged in the 'Police Court, one with stealing and the others receiving a variety of goods from the Gabriella, during the early hours of the morning. He stated .that this was not the first time that the police had been called upon to investigate thefts from the stores of the Gabriella and added that crimes of this type were particularly hard to detect.

Robert James Sweetman was charged with receiving goods to the value of Ils from Arthur Neville Goodmanson, knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained and also with the theft of a tablecloth valued at 6s. Donald Ernest Mutch Was charged with receiving goods to the value of £1 Is from Goodmanson. Charges against these men, of stealing the articles were withdrawn by the police. Goodmanson, a ship’s fireman, was charged with stealing goods to the value of £1 11s Id from the Union Steam Ship Coy. All pleaded guilty.

Men Apprehended

Detective Sergeant Thompson said jthat at 0.15 in the morning, Mutch and Sweetman were seen leaving the Gabriella by Constable Malloy. Mutch had in his possession a biscuit tin of sugar and - inside his shirt were 1-| lbs of tea. Sweetman had an attache case in which were a number of articles. Neither men had much to say and were charged with the theft of the articles. Later in the morning, however, Goodmanson was interviewed by Detective Constable and himself (Detective Sergeant Thompson) and frankly admitted that he had stolen the goods and had given them to the arrested men.

All three had been drinking after tea and had later taken more liquor aboard the vessel' When the two men had asked Goodmanson about the ship’s stores, the latter had given them a number of articles. Nothing was known about the accused.

Submitting that the offences were the result of too much drinking, Mr W. D. Taylor, who represented the accused, suggested that a'fine would meet the case. Goodmanson had spent all his life at sea except for nine years during which he spent with the Air Force. He was in danger of losing his job and his seaman’s book and this would be a substantial punishment. Sweetman, who had just returned from Australia, had served in the army for a number of years, seeing fighting in Borneo. Having been a seaman all his life, he was in the same position as Goodmanson. The third accused, Mutch, had been employed by the Grey Electric Power Board as a linesman lor over 10 years. He had not been in trouble previously. Mr Taylor pointed out that none of the accused had offered resistance to the police and had made frank statements. Agreeing that the offence was serious, he invited the bench to consider the fact that the men had been under the influence of liquor at the time. The engineer to the Grey Electric Power Board, S. W. J. Trotter, gave evidence regarding the character of the accused, Mutch. Comment by Bench

“I would like to point out to the three accused • that under these charges they are liable to fines of £2O or a maximum of three months’ imprisonment,” stated. Mr Hood, after an adjournment to consider the penalty. “We are taking into consideration the submissions of counsel and also the fact that these offences are difficult to detect and that ships’ stores must be protected. They are the property of the ship.” Sweetman was convicted and fined £lO for receiving goods from Goodmanson, while Mutch was also convicted and fined £lO for receiving. Goodmanson, for the theft of the articles, was convicted and a fine of £lO imposed. An order was made for the return of the stolen articles to the Union Steam Ship Company.