ROBBED HIS COMRADES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16538, 14 May 1917, Page 6

ROBBED HIS COMRADES.

■<. SOLDIER PLEADS GUILTY. LONDON, May 1. An Australian soldier has been tried by court-martial on a charge, to which Impleaded guilty, of robbing the Parkhouse Post Oflico of £50, and stealing £800 from the A.I.F. Post Office, London. Tho sentence is to be promulgated. Tho accused urged that be might not be 6ent to prison, and said : " If you cannot send me to France, let me pay the penalty against tho wall." The robbery in London was one of great daring. Tho perpetrator climbed a 40ft pipe and spent five hours extracting money from Commonwealth Bank envelopes. Detectives Brennun and Pearce, acting in conjunction with military officials, cleverly traced and recovered the money from a woman who was co-operating with the soldier. Subsequently the latter escaped from the lock-up, but was re-arrested within an hour. He was formerly employed in a post office in Egypt. These Australian detectives wont to Egypt shortly after the outbreak of war, and did intelligence work. After the Gallipoli cam paign they were transferred to London, where their duties have consisted of looking after the Australian soldiers and seeing that they were not victimised, and attending to any offences committed by members of the A.I.F.