Crime At Ahipara

Northern Advocate, 23 July 1943, Page 6

Crime At Ahipara

(Special) KAITAIA, This Day. Pleading guilty, two Maori youths.. Barney Allen and Peter Snowden, at the Kaitaia Police Court today were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence for breaking and entering and theft at the store of I, Berghan, Ahipara, on June 21. Statements made by both accused admittting all charges were read. They stated they gained entry into the store at night by forcing open the rear door. After removing a considerable quantity of merchandise from the store, they unsuccessfully attempted to break open the safe. Returning to the main store they were continuing thieving when they saw smoke billowing from the office. Papers on the main table and on files suspended from the well were aflame. Their attempts to beat out the fire failed and they quitted the building, leaving tracks in the sand by which thej r were traced by the police. Clad in shorts both men were severely burned round the thighs and legs when fire-fighting and iwere in hospital for a considerable time. They are still suffering from burns and were granted permission to sit by the presiding Justices, Messrs. J. T. B. Taaffe and W. Atkins. En route lo the store, they admitted stealing a ham from the safe’ of Miss J. Reid. For this, each was sentenced to three months’ Imprisonment.