GOODS SHED PILFERING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 14071, 28 May 1906, Page 5

GOODS SHED PILFERING.

- -s■' l 1 * A CASUAL HAND CONVICTED. At the Magistrate’s Court on Saturday John Jones, a young man, appeared before Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., on a charge that, on or about April 22, at Christchurch, he had stolen two pairs of trousers, valued at £l, the property of Messrs Grummett and White. Mr Donnelly, who appeared for the accused, said that, unfortunately, he had to plead guilty to the offence. The accused was married, and had never previously been before, the Court. He iiad better say at once what others would probably say, that the trousers bad been stolen from the Railway Goods-shed, where Jones was employed. It might also be urged that thefts from the goods-shed were common, but he urged that the accused should not be made an example of on that account. He had already lost his employment, and apart from any punishment the Court might inflict, had already been heavily punished. Detective Bishop stated that the trousers had been consigned from Christchurch to Oamaru, but as they did not arrive there inquiries had been set on foot, and Detective Cox, who had had charge of the case, had discovered on Thursday that accused was wearing one pair of the trousers. His house being searched, the other pair was found. There had been numerous complaints of petty theft at the goodsshed, and -they were hard to trace. Accused’s conduct was inexplicable, as he owned a couple of houses., The Magistrate said that he did not like to send any man to gaol for a first offence, although he knew it had been done in other special cases, aud other Magistrates took a different view of the matter. He would inflict a fine of £3 and costs, in default one month’s imprisonment.