BURGLARY ADMITTED

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 7 August 1935, Page 8

BURGLARY ADMITTED

Jewellery Worth £670 Taken FrQtn Loan Company SEAMAN’S DARING RAIDS TRIBUTE TO POLIOE WORK (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, To-day; Alfred Jeffery 7, aged 27, a seaman, ple.aded guilty before Mr Mosley, to breaking and entering the Anchor Exchange and Loan Company, Manners Street, and stealing £B4 and jewellery rained at £670 Bs. also to breaking and entering the house of Alexander Meltzer, Hataitai, and stealing £2 13s 6d, a pocket wallet, nine keys and a bottle of wine, of a total of £4 10s 6d. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. He was also involved in a charge of breaking and entering a counting house at Martinborough. Mr Meltzer, manager of the Anchor firm, gave evidence as to getting up on May 22 and discovering that his house had been entered and . that keys and a wallet were missing from his trousers. His wife’s pulse was also taken, as well as wine and sundries. He rang up the police and went to his shop, where a detective was waiting. They found the shop in complete disorder, with private papers and documents scattered around. Money was missing, also stock to the value of about £390 and pledges valued at £279 12s 6d. All the jewellery in the court came from the shop, and £155 worth was still missing. He estimated the damage to the goods recovered at £93 17s 6d. watch movements being missing, while stones had been removed Iron Hugs and brooches damaged. The values were corroborated by employees. ‘ Detective MdPhee gave evidence of finding a large portion of the stolen property at a house in Haining Street on July 19, and the following day he communicated with the Wanganui police, who arrested the accused The accused in a statement to the police detailed how he went to Hataitai and of committing the robbery there. He then went to the shop. He said that three or four days afterwards he called on Charlie Tong and displayed some jewellery.' Tong said he would try and sell it. He said it might take a week or two to get rid of itOn another occasion Tong said he would try to get another Ohinaroaw to melt the jewellery down. The accused broke up some of the jewellery and watches and went to Auckland. Goods that were of no use to him he dumped in the Auckland harbour from the Devonport ferry steam er. He bought a motor-cycle for £« and he returned to Wellington. Ot» finding that he had no money he saw Tong, who said a man would give £4o"for the diamond rings. Tong gave him £4 10s and £9, but the accused later returned £2, as Tong Had no money. , , r At the close of the hearing Mr Meltzer expressed to the Bench ar* pieciation of the wonderful work or -the detective branch in tracing the criminal and recovering a large portion of the jewellery. The magistrate said it was pleasing to hear such a reference. Although the work of the police frequently merited the highest praise, expressions of gratitude were very seldom heard. He asked Detective-Sergeant Revell to convey his remarks and those of Mr Meltzer to the Tight quarter.