PILFERING FROM KERERU WRECK RELATED BY POLICE OFFICER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22951, 20 May 1949, Page 6

PILFERING FROM KERERU WRECK RELATED BY POLICE OFFICER

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 20. Evidence of the unauthorised removal of parts of the aircraft and some of the passengers’ possessions after the first police party had left the wreckage of the Lodestar Kereru on March 19 was given by Police Sergeant C. L. Scanlon, of Wellington, when the Board of Inquiry investigating the disaster resumed yesterday afternoon. * The board consists of His Honour Judge Stilwell, Group-Captain W. C. Sheen and Mr. R. A. Kirkup. Sergeant Scanlon said that when he reached the scene of the accident on March 19 [re saw clothing and other articles scattered over a wide area around the wreckage. Some of the clothing was even in nearby tree tops. The only suitcase he recalled seeing was the property of one of the passengers, Mr. Jeune. The bag was damaged but the contents were contained in it. ' After the last of the bodies had been removed he had supervised the sorting out of the articles to be taken back with the party, continued the witness. There was not enough manpower available to remove any large portion of*the articles and he was forced to fake only what could be carried- He sorted out documents and other , articles which he considered might be valuable. Documents Safe-Guarded Mr. Jeune’s bag was opened and documents and a roll of aerial photos were removed. A further search of the bag was made for anything valuable, but only clothing was found and this was replaced. The documents taken from Mr. Jeune’s bag related to the Local Government Commission. A considerable quantity of clothing and toilet articles had been left at the scene of the accident. The inspector of aircraft accidents had arrived as the police party was leaving. When the witness returned to the wreckage on the following’day, March 21, it was obvious that a considerable amount of clothing had been removed. The tail wheel of the plane was missing. One of the propellers had been dismantled and the tip of one of the propeller blades had be.en , cut off, apparently with a hacksaw. On the second visit the witness had looked for documents which the inspector of aircraft accidents had been unable to find, No Guard Left at Wreck Questioned by Mr. W. E. Leicester, counsel for the relatives of Mr. A. G. Ryland, one of the passengers, Sergeant Scanlon said the party had left the wreckage after the first visit at about mid-day on the Saturday and returned at about 2 p.m. on the Monday. So far as he knew, Sergeant Scanlon said, no steps had been taken by the police to safeguard the property between the time of departure on Saturday and the return pn Monday. On the first visit the police party had been at the scene of the accident for about three and a half hours. It was not correct that the police had gone through a number of suit cases to ascertain property there. The witness had seen only one suitcase in any sort of condition. Mr. Leicester: I am instructed that there were a number of suitcases. The witness: I did not see them. Did you see a number of wallets emptied of their contents?—No. Sergeant Scanlon said that various sums of money found had been put with the rest of the property brought in. Care had been taken that identification of the money would be certain. Mr. Leicester asked whether the witness would dispute statements that wallets had been emptied and bundled together because the police wanted to travel as lightly as possibleSergeant Scanlon replied that he had not seen any wallets emptied. He knew wallets containing money had been brought in and he presumed they had been handed back. On the Sunday after a visit to the wreckage a list had been made of all property brought in to the central police station. Mr. Leicester said he had been informed by two who were there that the police went through suitcases and scattered the contents. One of the passengers, Mrs. Cattin, had a packet of jewellery as excess baggage. Asked whether he had seen the jewellery scattered or thrown on the ground, the witness said he had seen neither. 1-Ie remembered only one suitcase, and that was Mr. Jeune’s, which was opened by the police. Whatever had been removed after the police party left had been taken by unauthorised persons.