Wild Motor Chase Through City Streets

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 4

Wild Motor Chase Through City Streets

THREE MEN BEFORE COURT Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. How a motor-car, alleged to have been converted, was driven at a high speed through Wellington streets last night while pursued by a taxi containing two police constables was told in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, today, when three men appeared before Air. J. H. Luxford, S.M., charged with breaking and entering and theft. Leonard Neiling, a labourer, aged 26, Kenneth Jory Reeves, a labourer, aged 20, and Bernard Holmes, a labourer, aged 29, were charged with breaking and entering the store of Johnston and Company at Island Bay on April 27 and committing theft. Neiling and Reeves were charged, also, with unlawfully converting a motor-car valued at £IOO, the property of Gordon Stewart Traill. On the application of Detective-Ser-geant P. Doyle, accused were remanded to appear in Wellington again on May

While on duty in Constable Street on Thursday night, Constable T. J. Alile«= saw a motor-car with only one headlamp burning, said Detective-Sergeant Doyle. Later in the night the constable again saw this car, but at the time knew nothing of the alleged conversion. He received this information on returning to the Wellington South police station, and in company with Constable A. Ansell went to intercept the car. They acted on the assumption that the car would return from Island Bay, but when it appeared in Adelaide Road the constables were unable to stop it. They hired a taxi and gave chase immediately. It was alleged that the car travelled through the city streets at a high speed and on occasions tried to run the taxi off the road. It was alleged, also, that articles wero thrown at the driver of the taxi.

The chase was continued to Pctone, said Detective-Sergeant Doyle, and one man jumped out, but tho taxi-driver succeeded in heading the other car on to a road leading to Eastbourne. Tho police followed the wanted car till it reached Eastbourne and entered a blind road. Neiling and Reeves were arrested, and a large quantity of property alleged to have been stolen was found in the car. Holmes was arrested later in the night by Detective R. Tripney.