MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 142, 17 May 1941, Page 4

MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

CHARGES OK THEFT. Charges alleging ilie theft of army stoics were preferred against two soldiers who appeared in’ the .Magistrate's Court yesterday bcioro Messrs C. L. Mow lent and T. it. la'os, J.IVs. Basil Rodney Kodelle, alias Vail, and Sidney Rabbits (the second accused being represented by Mr J. A. CRanl) were jointly charged with the theft, at. Palmerston North, on May 12, 1941, ol cbeeee, sugar, tea, collee, honey, tinned milk, baking powder, and beet extract, ol a total value of £3, the property of the Army Department. The accused Kodelle was charged, alone, with the theft of two bags of sugar, a bag of tea, a eat* of condensed milk, a case of tinned jam, a case of butter, a large tin of coffee, cheese and Hour, of a total value of £ll, also the property of the department. The |(olive were represented by Delce-ti\c-Sergcant A. Jl. Meiklejolm and both accused were remanded to appear at 10 a.m. to-day. Mr 11. P. l.awry was on the Bench* Both accused pleaded guilty to the joint charge and Kodelle pleaded not guilty to the second charge against himself. A man whose name was suppressed tacetl two charges of receiving the goods knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. He was represented by -Mr Grant and pleaded guilty to the first charge and not guilty to the second. Mr Grant said h.s client, did not know the goods had been stolen. The soldiers concerned said the goods had not been used and had to bo dumped somewhere. Detcctivu-Sorgeuin Meiklejolm stressed the seriousness of the offences, and stated that a good deal of "dumping ’ of uftily stored was going on. I The man who faced the charges ol receiving wtfs convicted and fined £5 on the first charge and on the second lie was convicted and ordered to conic up lor sentence if called upon within two years •Sidney Rabbits was sentenced to three months’ inipricotinicnt. . j Kodelle was sentenced to three months j imprisonment oil the first charge and an additional two months’ imprisonment, | cumulative with tho fur', term, on the .-ce- : ond An Older was made lor the return of the goods. THEFT CHARGES. Eric Joseph Fleming McDonell, a labon rer of no fixed abode, was charged will) the theft of fish. the properly of A. Mackros, a breach of a prohibit ion order, and the theft of keys and a ticket-punch, the property of the Railway . Department. A charge of unlawful convention ci a mo-tor-ear was withdrawn. He pleaded guilty to all the charged and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment on the charge of stealing the lays and the punch, to seven days’ imprisonment (concurrent) tor the theft of the fish, and convicted and discharged lor the breach of his prohibition order.