COIN FOUND AND KEPT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14929, 29 February 1912, Page 5

COIN FOUND AND KEPT.

LEADS TO CHARGE OF THEFT.

FINE AND REFUND ORDERED.

A somewhat unusual case came before Mr. ]•:. 0. Chitten, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday, when John Green was charged with stealing £1 from Kate Stanley. Mr. Alderton appeared for accused, who pleaded "not guilty."

The story told for tho prosecution was that on a recent evening Green decided to take his wife to seo a play at His Majesty's Theatre. Miss Kate .Stanley and her sister also went to the theatre, and whilst waiting outside Miss Stanley opened her purso to pay for tho tickets. Whilst doing so two coins fell to the ground, one of them being a threepenny piece, which a bystander picked up end handed to tho lady. Green also bent down and picked up a coin, showed it (a sovereign) to a boy, and remarked " Perhaps this is it," and put it in his pocket. Three witnesses testified to seeing accused put the coin in his pockot.

When Miss Stanley was inside the theatre she discovered that the coin which she had not recovered was a sovereign, and informed tho manager of tho theatre of what had occurred. A constable was sent for. and an attendant asked Green and his wife to stop outside tho theatre into tho vestibule. Green, it was alleged, then said that he hod £3 10s in his packet, and seemed to treat the whole affair as a joke. He was placed under and taken to tho police station, where ho was found to have £4 lis 4d in his possession.

The accused's version was that ho saw Miss Stanley drop some coins, and perceived that the threepenny piece was picked up He then heard Miss Stanley exclaim: "I think 'there's somo more.' 1 Thinking to have some furl, he pulled a sovereign from his own pocket, stooped down with it in his hand, and piretended to pick it up from. tho ground. There was no attempt to, conceal his act. He treated the whole affair as a joke, until he reached tho watchhouse. He denied that lie told the con-, stable that ho had £3 10s in his pocket. Evidence was given regarding the excellent character of the accused. His Worship said that if it was a joke it was a very unfortunate ouo. Ho was sorry to have to convict, as ho felt sure the accused was not a man/ of criminal tendencies, but that he had acted on a, sudden impulse. Accused would be fined £5, ordered to refund the stolen £1, and pay costs £1 10s.