AIRCRAFTSMEN GAOLED

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1944, Page 6

AIRCRAFTSMEN GAOLED

THEFTS FROM GOVERNMENT. P.A. AUCKLAND, May 19. “This case- comes as a nasty shock to the Court and must also, to the public, especially as two of the accused have had overseas service,” said the Magistrate (Mr. Luxford) to-day when four aircraftsmen of the R.N.Z.A.F., appeared and pleaded guilty to thefts of Government property. ‘ Ernest Raymond Harland, 23, and Robert Watson, 31, pleaded guilty to charges of stealing four motor tyres, tubes and wheels valued at £42 and four kits of tools valued at £36, while Harland, alone, was charged with stealing a vice valued' at £5 and four tins of paint valued at £1 10s. Albert Roy Sigley, 32, pleaded guilty to stealing five kits of tools valued at £45 and Reuben Ernest Scarborough, 41, was charged with receiving two kits of tools valued at £lB. A civilian, Orren Maurice Bernasconi, 29, motor engineer, pleaded guilty to receiving four kits of tools and a vice valued at £4l, knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained.

The police evidence was that the property belonged to the Air Force and was found missing from Air Force marshalling yards at Auckland. The wheels and tyres had been taken from a bomb-carrier and specialist tools from mobile workshops. The (authorities viewed these thefts most seriously, because the 14 sets of tools stolen were all front-line equipment, already sealed and awaiting shipment to forward battle areas for the Air Force. If the shipment could not be , made it might have resulted in the grounding of the aircraft. Both police I and counsel for Scarborough, said it was in his favour that after giving one of the other men a hand to shift .some tools he realised the seriousness of what was going on and consulted another member of the Air Force. He got the tools he was concerned in removed and placed them back on Air Force property, with the intention of putting them in the workshop again, but he was sent away before he bad an opportunity. The Magistrate said that what was done was really tantamount to sabotage, and those who thought they could get away with it knew what they would get if they failed. The men were entitled to no leniency. They chose to pilfer service stores to dispose of them anfl share the proceeds. Bernasconi, as the receiver, was really worse than the thieves. Sentences of nine months’ imprisonment, with hard labour, were passed on Bernasconi, Harland. Watson and Sigley. Scarborough, who was in a different position, was fined £lO, immediate payment being ordered.