KHYBER PASS BURGLARY

Northern Advocate, 2 November 1927, Page 6

KHYBER PASS BURGLARY

INA WILLS FOUND GUILTY. OF RECEIVING STOLEN GOODS. SKINNER A SCOUNDREL. AUCKLAND, This Day. The trial of Ina Beatrice Wills, aged 25, on charges of burglary, was concluded in the Supreme Court yesterday. Mr Dickson, for the defence, said that Airs Wills came before them as a woman of unblemished character. He could not deny that she was of Bohemian habits, and she might have the tendency of the "flapper” class that existed in Auckland today, but the suggestion that she was a criminal he emphatically denied. The principal witness for the Crown was the man Skinner, who had come from Australia, where ho had served a term of imprisonment for bigamy. This man sought to picture himself as an innocent lad, led by the nose and caught in the machinations of a scheming woman. When in gaol, he wrote a tetter, which was intercepted, in which he suggested to friends lengthy details of the false evidence they should give to prove he had not been out w T ith Mrs Wills on the evening under review. Counsel submitted that accused had given Skinner away by telling the truth, and he sought ro "get it back on her” by telling this story. His confession probably mitigated his sentence. Mr Justice Reed; "It did not mitigate his sentence one iota.” Air Dickson: "I am very much obliged to your Honour. He may have thought it would mitigate has sentence. ’ ’ Counsel was going on to reflect on the conduct of the detectives towards accused, when his Honour checked him. It was not fair, the Judge said, to suggest that any detective would be such a fool as to put himself in the hands of a despicable scoundrel by making suggestions that might be repeated in Court. Mr Dickson suggested that it was very reprehensible for detectives to interview accused persons in gaol regarding the crimes with which they w r ere charged. All’ Hubble, for the Crown, said the last statement made by ,Skinner was not made to any member of the police force, but to Skinner’s own solicitor.

His Honour said that whatever the position was, there was no ground anywhere to make any reflection on the detective force for its attitude in the matter.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty on the third and least serious count, that of receiving stolen goods, knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. Sentence was postponed until tomorrow morning.—‘Press ASsn.