PETTY LARCENY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 8 April 1927, Page 6

PETTY LARCENY.

THREE CHARGES PREFERRED. NATIVE YOUTH CONVICTED. Before Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., in the Hawera Court yesterday, Paoi Itoea, a native 17 years of age, pleaded guilty to three charges of theft, and was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence on April 28. The charges were that at Kaponga. on December 2S, 1926, accused stole £6. the property of Alois Erhler; that at Kaponga, on March 25. 1927, he stole £1 from Len Chamberlain; and that on April 3, 1927. he stole another £1 from the latter person. Dealing with the second and third charges, .Sergeant Henry stated that on the dates mentioned Chamberlain missed the money from bis clothing, and as a result Constable J. O’Donoghue had subsequently interviewed accused, who was working on the farm, and occupied a room in the house. The boy had at first denied any knowledge of the matter, but had subsequently admitted he had stolen the sums mentioned.

Evidence relating •to the theft from Erhler, who was also employed by Chamberlain, and shared the room occupied by the accused, was given b.y Constable O’Donoghue, who stated that on April 4 he was informed that £6 had been stolen from Erhler’s pocket at about Christmas .time. When witness interviewed the accused, the latter admitted that lie took the money. Accused made a statement to that effect, -and explained further that lie had spent the money in clothing and cigarettes. Accused admitted that the evidence was correct, and elected to be dealt with by the magistrate. Sergeant Henry said that the accused’s home was at Whakatane, where in February, 1924, he had been before the court on two charges of theft. He had been committed to a juvenile probation hpme, and afterwards went to the Wcraroa training farm. He went frnn there to a farm in the Kaponga. district, where he worked for eighteen mom and in. June last he was engaged by .Mr Chamberlain. Up till December nothing was known against him, and bo was given a good character by his employers, iso far as his work was concerned. Mr. Gibb, the Child Welfare Officer, had suggested that accused be given -a term of probation, and be sent back to his home at Whakatane.

The magistrate said that in view of the accused’s previous conduct, and the fact that the present offences committed within an interval of three months, he could not .assent to. the suggestion on the .spur of the moment. Accused was convicted on each charge but in order that an opportunity eoukl be given the Child Welfare Officer io give evidence, sentence was deferred until the next sitting of the court, accused being ordered to report to the notice on each Saturday during the interval.