Committed For Sentence For Entering Store

Northern Advocate, 25 February 1944, Page 2

Committed For Sentence For Entering Store

Committed from Kaitaia to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence for converting to his own use a motor car aiid for breaking and entering the Victoria Valley School, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour for stealing petrol, Alfred Hicks Howell, 26, labourer and salesman, of no fixed abode, admitted in the Whangarei Court today six further charges involving breaking, entering, theft and mischief to the nine charges admitted at Kaitaia.

Howell was charged with breaking and entering the shop of Holland Bros, at Oakleigh, and committing theft, stealing three books valued at 8/- at Waipu. wilfully damaging a lock valued at 3/6 at Waipu, thereby committing mischief; stealing two cream .cans valued at £2 at Okaihau. stealing a hacksaw, one torch, one petrol tin and two gallons of petrol of a total value of £ 1/8/- at Dargaville, and at the same place wilfully damagaing one pane of glass valued at 2/6. thereby committing mischief.

Store Entered

Giving evidence in the first charge, Rosemary Holland said her two brothers had a store at Oakleigh. On February' 15 she had closed and j locked the store doors, but the next morning she had found the front door open. Honey, cigarettes and cigarette papers produced were similar to stock kept at the store. Vera Nellie Holland, manageress of her brothers’ store, said that about three dozen packets of cigarettes, about nine packets of tobacco. 40 packets of cigarette papers and lGlbs. of peaches, the total value of which was £3/18/5, were missing. Investigating at the store, said Arnold Roy Rimmer, constable. Waipu, he had found no marks of entry being forced, but the front doors could be opened by manipulation, there being sufficient play to release the single bolt, and this seemed tp have been the mode of entry. George Stephen Miller, detective, of Whangarei, who also prosecuted, gave evidence that on February 20 he had seen Howell at the police station at I Kaitaia. Howell had volunteered information that he had entered the store at Oakleigh and had made a statement to this effect. The property produced in court was that Howell had said he had taken from the store. If he had not made the confession it was doubtful if the police would have had sufficient evidence to connect Howell with the offence, and he had been helpful in clearing up the situation. Pleading guilty, Howell was committed by Messrs. J. G. Draper and J. H. Marwick, J.P.'s, to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence. He also admitted all the other charges.

Lacking in Will Power

Detective Miller said that while in possession of a converted car at Dargaville. Howell had Keen short ol petrol and had stolen the articles charged. The hacksaw had been dej stroyed when the car went over a bank and caught fire. Later, in another converted car at Waipu, he had been short of petrol and had gone to a garage. He had not obtained benzine, but had taken three books. While on his way north in a converted car, Howell had taken two cream cans from a farmer’s gate at Okaihau, and these had been used for holding petroi. When the car caught fire they had been damaged. Confessions to the police bv Howell had cleared up a number of offences, said Detective Miller. He had been most helpful and if he had not confessed some of the offences might never have been traced to him. Only released from gaol last month, Howell did not seem to have sufficient willpower to stop committing crime, and he had a long list of previous convictions. Howell was convicted and discharged on all the remaining charges, an i order being made for the return of ; recovered-property.