Admit Breaking Into Whangaruru Store

Northern Advocate, 8 January 1948, Page 2

Admit Breaking Into Whangaruru Store

Two young Maoris today admitted breaking and entering a shop at Whangaruru on December 22 and stealing £2 in money and a postal note for £l.

Charged in the Whangarei Court, the two men. Himiona Paratene, 28, labourer, and Kara Hepi,’ 21, labourer, were committed by Mr W. C. Harley, S.M., to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence.

Everard Roland Ewen, shopkeeper, of Whangaruru, gave evidence that on returning to his shop at 11 p.m. he had found the back door, which had been left locked, open.

Inside the store he found a man, Hepi, who told him he had taken two £1 notes and a postal note.

FRANK WITH POLICE Detective-Sergeant E. W. Mahood, who prosecuted, said in evidence that, with Sergeant J. Greenlees, he had interviewed Hepi. In a statement, Hepi admitted breaking into the store with Paratene, who had kept watch outside, and taking the money and postal note, which he had surrendered to Ewen. Also interviewed. Paratene had stated that Kepi had broken into the store while he had kept watch. Both had been frank with the police. They had said they had been drinking and if they had been sober they would not have committed the offence. Each was allowed bail in his own recognisance of £-10 each, a special condition being that they should not go near Ewen’s store.