ESCAPED MAORIS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 54, Issue 32626, 26 September 1945, Page 5

ESCAPED MAORIS

VISIT PAID TO PAEROA THEFT OF CLOTHING THREE BICYCLES CONVERTED Three escaped Maori prisoners who visited Paeroa during the week-end of September 15-16, Rata Mikaere, Maurice Rongonui and John Tukorehu, were arrested at Katikati on September 18 by Constable H. and appeared before Justices of the Peace in the Waihi Court on Friday on charges of theft and were convicted and committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence. They were all charged with stealing a suit of clothes, two pairs of sports trousers, one Donegal sports coat, two woollen pullovers, three ties and a rifle, of a total value of £lB 7s 6d the property of Mr Phillip Lyndon Fathers afid an overcoat, hat and scarf of a total value of £l4, the property of Mr Graham Powell.

Mikaere was also charged with stealing an overcoat, hat and electric torch of a total value of £9 17s 6d the property of Mr 'William Herbert Maunder of Turua and Rongonui was separately charged with stealing at Karangahake an overcoat valued at £5 and an electric torch valued at 12s 6d, the property- of Mr Leslie Clarence Goldsworthy. On all the above charges accused pleaded guilty and were convicted and committed to the Supreme Court, Auckland for sentence.

Constable V. L. Bagge of Paeroa stated that the men had entered Fathers’ Hotel to steal Messrs Fathers’ and Powell’s clothes, while Mi‘ Maunder’s property was taken from a motor car parked in Wharf street, Paeroa. The overcoat and torch, the property of Mr Goldsworthy, were taken 1 from a car parked outside the Karangahake Hall.

Rongonui and Tukorehu were each charged with unlawful conversion of bicycles the property of Miss Muriel Cummings and Mr Vincent Charles Moloney respectively and were sentenced to three months’ hard labour.

Mikaere was similarly charged l with unlawfully converting from the back of the Criterion Hotel a cycle, the. property of some person unknown and was similarly sentenced. The police have recovered all the property. The accused were dealt with on other charges of breaking and entering at Waihi and at Tauranga.