CONVERSION OF CAR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 14 January 1937, Page 5

CONVERSION OF CAR

UNUSUAL CASE

SALESMAN BEFORE COURT

MAGISTRATE IMPOSES £5 FINE

Charges of unlawful conversion of a motor-car, belonging to his employ - Jer and of wilful damage to the car | amounting to £4. were admitted in I the Blenheim Magistrate’s Court yesI terday morning by William Burgess, I salesman, of Blenheim, who was fined £5 on the first charge and oi- | dered to repay the damage on the second (reports the “Express”). 1 It was stated by Sergeant Smyth, who prosecuted for the police, that at 5 p.m. on 29th December, the car in question had been standing in the garage of Lucas Bros., to whom it belonged. The next morning it was found that it had been used during the night and that it was damaged. When interviewed Burgess had at first denied being responsible but later he had admitted that although he had received instructions not to take any cars out from the garage at night he had taken this one out about 11 p.m. to go to Spring Creek, where he had hit a fence and the car had been slightly damaged. The defendant had previously been before the Court. Mr C. T. Smith, who appeared for the defendant said that the case was a very different one from the usual one of conversion of motor-cars. The defeidant had taken a car belonging to his employers winch he was entitled to use during the day time. Although he was acting contrary to an instruction from his employers he had not thought he was committing any crime, particularly as the car actually had two gallons of his own benzine in it. It was not a case of a person unlawfully converting a stranger’s car. The penalty on the defendant had already been severe and counsel asked that the Magistrate should be as lenient as possible. After some deliberation, the Magistrate imposed the penalties mentioned. An application for the suppression of the defendant’s name was refused.