POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16670, 15 October 1917, Page 6

POLICE COURT NEWS.

f * J RETENTION OF MONEY FOUND. r »A chahoe of theft arising out of unusual , circumstances was preferred against a ' young man, Oscar Mead Bull, in fL p„u„„

jj.-» 6 —» v"~»» -««« ow, mine rolice ; Court on Saturday, . The accused pleaded . guilty to stealing, at Auckland, on October 10, a pocketbook containing £9, stamps , valued at 33 Jsd, and sundry papers of a total value of £9 13s sd, the property of : (James Sharp. Mr. p. V. Frazer, S.M., presided. ' ; Senior-Sergeant McNamara said the accused picked up the pocketbook in a Queen Street picture theatre. He made • no attempt to find the owner, When in- . terrogated by the police, he admitted having seen an advertisement for the pocketbook, bu'- said the temptation to retain it . was too , kong. All the money had been ' I recovered, except 6d. The pocketbook ac- • : cused W. thrown into the harbour. The senior-aergeant added that losses of money ' totalling about £60 had been reported 1 to the police in the past four weeks, and in no instance, except the one which formed the bans of the charge, had a recovery been made. Such thefts were very difii- ' cult to trace, especially when the indentifiable portion of the property was destroyed. A fine of £5 was imposed, and the accused was ordered to pay £1 as the ' value of the pocketbook, and 12s witnesses' expenses. , Edward Day was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for failing to enrol in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Reserve. Senior-Sergeant McNamara said ' the only excuse offered by Day was that if, 1 he registered he would have to go to the war, an action which he disapproved. —————— T ======= ,