CONVERSION OF CARS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 28 October 1941, Page 6

CONVERSION OF CARS

L YOUTHS BEFORE THE COURT M -GISIRATI 1 \ I*l \INS THE LAW ; The reason for persons being charg<,l X, itl• conversion of motor vehicles met nl Ot with theit was outlined by r- Mr T K. Maimsell. SM. in the Magisi t rale's C ourt this morning. Two youths, > Frank King, aged 17 voars, and Alexei lander William Charlett. aged 18 years, ie were charged with converting to their it own use on 18th October, a car valued n- ! at Cgai- tlu property of llenry Richard «r , Duncan ;e I "The offence of converting cars is nt in the country,” said ts the Magistrate “There appears to be i- -ome uncertainty as to why persons IS are not charged with the theft of a s- . motor vehicle instead of conversion. ;h The explanation is clear. The difliie eul’y about bringing charges of theft is that there is an obligation on the n j sliou dors of the police to prove that si the Offender intended to obtain permas nent possession of the motor vehicle. i- Before the law was amended to allow it ! persons to be charged with conversion, i- i case after case was dismissed. This : s j problem was experienced both in this u ; country and in England and an attempt t. was made to get over the difficulty by 10 j bringing a charge of theft of benzine. ie Therefore in the interests of car ownr, ers the law was altered to make it an d offence merely to steal the use of a d car When the police bring a charge h ot conversion it is not to let the de>e | ferdant off lightly, but to secure a eoni vie* on which would not otherwise be d | obtained.” i- j Charlett and King both pleaded guilty g ! and elected to be dealt with summarily, i- : They were represented by Mr J. R. 11 Kerr I- i Detective-Sergeant F. Hayhurst. who ■r ! prosecuted, asked that King be remando j ed to Thursday to allow reports to be v j received from Christchurch. The reel j manri was granted. A third youth who i was charged in the Children’s Court j manderi to Thursday. Detective-Sergeant Hayhurst said that j Charlett was a local youth who, some ; time ago, had got in touch with King ’ and the youth who had appeared in 1 thi‘ Children's Court. They had been working at Golden Downs and had come in to town for the week-end. 18tho 19th October. They stayed at an hotel _ and ran out of money. On Sunday d night they went to the back of Mr H. e R. Duncan’s residence and wheeled his ca. out of the garage and down the road. They then started it and drove - it out to Wakefield and then to Waka- • puaka. He believed they called at some - hotels. On the way back they collided b with a tree near the Church Hill and - dH damage to the car estimated at £37 :t 15s. r. Accused had been before the Court t) previously, said the detective. There r wa« nr doubt that he was the ring,t leader. He had driven the car and he alone had the local knowledge which c allowed them to steal the car. REFORMATIVE DETENTION il Mr Kerr said Charlett was a boy whose home life had not been of the haopiest. He had been earning his " own living since he was 14. He had o been arrested a week ago and had been j in prison since then. He had been ! P working at Golden Downs in a camp j ■■ with grown men and had been earning \ ’• more than was good for him. Accused i n knew the peril in which he stood and - had had a taste of imprisonment. Mr I t Kerr suggested that he be admitted to _ probation, a condition being that he j _ contribute towards the damage done to 1 n the car. The Magistrate said he had come to the conclusion that something would nave to be done with accused, not only e in the interest of the public but in his e own interest as well. He had got comh pletely out of hand, s Accused was ordered to be detained j in a Borstal institution for a period ? not exceeding three years THEFT OF A BICYCLE Roy Seddon Tonkin, seaman, aged 27 years, appeared on related charges. He was charged with the theft of a bicycle. valued at £5, the property of j • Reginald William Winter, and further that, with intent to defraud. he did obtain from Emily Irene Chapman the sum of £2 in money and goods to the value of 4s 6d. by means of a valueless p cheque. The youth who appeared in a the Children's Court on the charges on ;t which Charlett appeared, was similard ly charged. Accused was represented by Mr H. G Brodic. He pleaded guilty and electy ed to be dealt with summarily. e Detective-Sergeant Hayhurst said the y accused met Charlett, King and the 'f other youth in a park. He did not pred viously know them. They told him s they were staying at an hotel and d were out of money. Accused advised e them to do what he did in the centres d —steal a bicycle and sell it to a secondd hand dealer. When they said that that „ could not be done in Nelson he replied a that it could. Accused then took the h youngest of the others with him and „ stole a bicycle. He got the boy to take *’ it into the shop of Mr Doel, a local U cycle dealer, to sell it Doel was not a altogether satisfied and gave him a cheque for £3 .which could not be cash- - ed until it was counter-signed. He e said he would counter-sign it when the o boy had been home and brought back - a receipt for the bicycle. Accused counter-signed the cheque himself and s the boy tried to cash it at several shops t before this was done by Mrs Chapman. 1 She gave the boy £2 in money and y goods to the value of 4s 6d. While , she went out the back of the shop for r a moment the boy ran out with the • money and goods. Accused now said he had not previously taken bicycles, - 1 but in a statement to the police earlier t he had admitted it. V Mr Brodie said that accused’s actions '• were explainable on the grounds of;

drink. lie had not been before the Court before Accused was admitted to probation for twelve months on both charges, a special condition being that he repay £2 4s fid. ,