Fireman Convicted On Six left Charges

Northern Advocate, 30 August 1948, Page 4

Fireman Convicted On Six left Charges

Johnny Maera, 25, a railway fireman, married with one child, was convicted and remanded for sentence on six charges of theft heard before the Magistrate (Mr W. C. Harley) at the Whangarei Court today. He will be held in custody until sentenced tomorrow morning.

The thefts were from officers of the Railways Department in Whangarei. Maera was charged with stealing a fountain pen and a pair of scissors, valued at £2/7/6, from Peter Ernest Hall; £39 in pioney from Hall; a fountain pen and two handkerchiefs, valued at £2/10/6, from Thomas James Jenkins; cigarettes, matches, and paint, valued at £3/6/2, from Colin Campbell Phyn; £3/10/- in money from Jenkins; and shoes, screwdriver, spanner, pliers and a loaf of bread, valued at £2/10/3, from Phyn. PORTION RECOVERED

Detective-Sergeant E. W. Mahood said Maera took him and Constable Smith to Oakleigh, where £2B, the remainder of the stolen money, was retrieved. Most of the other articles had been recovered. Maera had no previous convictions. Detective Mahood thought that the thefts were the result of liquor. Maera was a good worker. He suffered from tuberculosis.

Detective-Sergeant J. B. Finlay said everything had been recovered except £ll belonging to Hall. £3/10/- belonging to Jenkins, and cigarettes, and matches worth £2/8/4, the property of Phyn. Maera received an average of £9 a week as a fireman, but it was very unlikely that the department would continue to employ him. The magistrate asked that the probation officer report and remanded the case until tomorrow.