Wild Career of Crime on West Coast

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 187, 8 August 1941, Page 4

Wild Career of Crime on West Coast

Three Men Charged With Theft and Conversion CONSTABLE SERIOUSLY INJURED Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. T. Thirty-five witnesses from Canterbury and the West Coast gave evidence in the Magistrate ’g Court regarding charges of breaking, entering and theft and conversion of a car preferred against three men. The case was heard by Mr. E. C. Levvey, B.M. Leslie Jack Davis, a labourer, aged 31, lan Carr Douglas, a truck driver, aged 26, and Graham Wilfred Morton, a labourer, aged 31, were jointly charged with converting a car valued at £IOO at Black’s Point on July 3. Morton and Davis were jointly charged with breaking and entering the Parnassus and Kaiapoi railway* stations and committing theft and breaking and entering the Sefton railway station with intent to commit theft. These three offences were alleged to have been committed on Juno 27. Douglas, who pleaded guilty to the charge of conversion, was remanded to appear for sentence on August 18. Morton pleaded not guilty to the charge of conversion and elected to be dealt with summarily. On the same charge Davis elected to be tried in the Supreme Court. Morton and Davis pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the Sefton and Parnassus railway* stations and wero committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Detective-Sergeant J. MrClung prosecuted and accused were not represented by counsel. Evidence on the charge against Morton and Davis relating to the Parnassus railway station was taken first. Cyril Walter Cottan, relieving stationmaster at Parnassus, described how he found tw*o doors open when he arrived on the morning of July 28. Th« railway safe nad been blown open, apparently by explosives, and a large cashbox containing money, postal notes, letter cards, stamps, cheques and other postal property* of a total value of £93 was missing, and also a small empty cashbox. Joseph Cannon, a storekeeper, who lives 300 yards from the station, said he heard an explosion at 11.45 p.m. on June 27 and a few minutes later a car went off in a northerly direction.

lan Carr Douglas, a truck driver, said he accompanied Morton and Davis to Christchurch from Nelson on June 25. They left a city hotel where they had stayed under assumed names on June

27 and drove north. At 11 p.m. they stopped near the Parnassus station and Morton and Davis got out. Later witness saw someone on the roof of the station and heard an explosion. Morton and Davis appeared with something in their arms and told him to drive north. Witness described how he saw two cashboxes in front of the car at Davis’ feet. They were missing while he was driving through the Lewis Pass.

On arrival at Hokitika the car number plates were altered as Davis suggested that the numbers might have been taken by the police. Later accused and witness went to Reefton with the intention of driving through the Lewis Pass. Witness asked a constable tho way to the pass. “The constable came to the car and shone his torch round it," said witness.

“Then he called another constable. Morton asked me to drive on but I waited for the constable who shone hie torch again and said: ‘I think so, don’t you?’ Morton asked me to drive on again, but I still thought it better to wait. I felt something in my back. I am not sure what it was. I think it was the gun. J then thought it better for all parties if I did drive on. | “One constable grabbed the steering wheel. Morton then put one hand on the wheel and the other on the hand throttle. The two constables fell off and the car swerved to the side of tho street and knocked down three verandah^poles. Witness then drove on to Black’• Point. On the way they hit a deer which did considerable damage. The car was abandoned in a side road. Witness returned to Reefton and later picked up accused who had a car. They drove to Westport and subsequently abandoned the car. On the way back to Grey mouth were arrested. Constable Archibald Charles Hobbe confirmed Douglas’ evidence as to the police interception of the car. He and Constable Scanlon were thrown off when the car swerved across the road bringing down three verandah posts. The car then grazed an electric power pola and disappeared at high speed. Constable Scanlon wns unfit to give evidence as he was still under medical attention.

Henry Stephen Langridge ga\e evidence that Davis called at his farm and said he wanted to get to Greymouth urgently as his wife was seriouslv ill and his car had broken down. When he said he had two brother-.in-laws outside witness thought they might be the wanted men. He arranged tor his l>oy to telephone the police and thfn drove the men toward Greymouth. They met a police car and were arrested.

The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow morning.