HOLD-UP SENSATION

Northern Advocate, 11 October 1928, Page 6

HOLD-UP SENSATION

ROBBERY \yiTH VIOLENCE, DESPERADOS DEALT WITH. (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, This Day. As a sequel to the sensational holdup of Air George Pearce and his wife in Elizabeth Street, Mt. Eden Road, on the night of September 28, Norman Travers (22), and Roy Edward Trask (22) appeared at Court today charged with robbery with violence and stealing a handbag containing £6 and sundry papers. They were further charged with converting a car valued at £2OO, the property of Kavanagh and Co., to their own use. Trask alone was charged with stealing six gallons of petrol. Air Pearce gave evidence that an attache case containing £35,. the takings at his clothing store and carried by him, escaped the robbers ’ notice.

Travers in a statement admitted

pointing a dummy revolver at Mr l Peareo to force him to lot go the steering wheel after accused had boarded the car for a getaway, the engine having been deft runniing. Counsel for accused, who pleaded not guilty to the robbery charge, requested the Magistrate, Mr F. K. Hunt, to defer sentence on the summary charges until after the trial at the Supremo Court, to which accused were committed.

Mr Hunt refused and sentenced each accused to three months’ gaol for the car conversion, and Trask to an additional 14 days for the benzine theft.

Joseph Henry Trask, the father of Roy, was jointly charged with the other two in converting to their own use a car hired to go to Hamilton,

and on which the trio were subse

quently arrested at Te Kuiti. Accused, who pleaded guilty to this and five charges of obtaining £33 18s fid by valueless cheques, was sentenced to a total of nine months’ gaol.