THEFT OF BICYCLE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 109, 21 April 1936, Page 3

THEFT OF BICYCLE

Accused Admitted to Probation Robert Henry McKay, who was charged with the theft of a bicycle valued at £5, was convicted and admitted to probation for three years by Mr J. Miller, S.M., in the Napier Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. An order was made for the return of the bicycle. The machine in question had been missing since 1934, according to Detective-Sergeant H. Nuttall, wh<> conducted the case for the police. Mowbray IBruce, a cycle dealer in Napier, examined a bicycle in the court and identified it by the number and the chain wheel as one he sold on March 10, 1927. Mr G'fford, for the accused, challenged the statement that the bicycle was worth £5. Witness estimated the bicycle as worth £2. Henry Skinner stated that be bought the bicycle from a man named Dumble, in 1928. He loaned it to his brother in December, 1934, and arranged that it was to be left at the Napier-Wairoa-Gisborne Tiunsport Co. He could not (Ind it.

The next time he saw the bicycle was last week, when it was standing in Emerson street. He waited, and accused came out and mounted the machine.

In reply to a question, accused told witness tiiat he had bought the b.cycl-r from a man whose name he could not remember. In an endeavour to prove ownership they went to Mr Bruce’s shop, but >t was closed. They then went lo the police station. James Jeffrey Skinner, brother of tlio previous witness, gave corraborative evidence.

Detective. K. W. Mills, stated that he interviewed McKay, who made n statement in which he said that he paid 30/- for (lie bicycle from a man who came :nto the Terminus Hotel. He did not know the man, and could not describe him. He did not know that the machine was stolen when he bought it. Mr Giffnrd submitted that the police had not proved their case. His client had ridden the cycle openly since he bought it, and had made no effort to disguise it.

Mr Gilford then called accused into the witness box. He gave similar evidence to that in the statement read by Detective Mills. The man who sold him the machine was a regular customer at the hotel.