THEFT AND RECEIVING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17330, 29 November 1919, Page 14

THEFT AND RECEIVING.

A SERIES OF CHARGES.

HAWKER FOUND GUILTY.

FINES TOTALLING £50 IMPOSED.

A series of theft charges was preferred against George Charles Jacobs (Mr. A. Moody) before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Polico Court yesterday. The first charge was that on November 17 he stole six tins of biscuits, worth 245, the property of some person unknown. To this ho pleaded not guilty. ' Detective Lambert gave evidence that, while making inquiries at the market concerning etoten snips' stores he found the; biscuits in question. Wnen asked where he got them accused first *aid he bought them at a store in Kuigsland, but later, said he bought them from a carter, with whoso name he was not familiar. Crass-examined, none of the police witnesses said he had heard of any biscuits having been missed by anyone. The chief-detective concurred with counsel's view that a fine would do the j man more good than imprisonment, and the magistrate accordingly imposed a fine af £10. The next charge, which accused denied also, was that between September 8 and November 12 ho stole 35 bottles of sauce, 51 tins of jam, tinned fish, fruit, and peeper, mustard, tea, and sugar in various quantities, to the value of JDlo 14s 3d, the property of the Onion Steam Ship Company. The evidence showed that the articles were recovered by the detectives .from the City Markets. The accused in a statement said he was a hawker, and visited the vessels in port to purchase sacks and empty bottles. Recently, however, he purchased stores from members of the crew of the Ayrshire and Eaitangata, took them to his lodginga in sacks, and then to the market. 'He had already been fined £50 by the Customs Department for having nn-Cnstemed goods in his possession. Counsel submitted that the goods had been stolen by the vendors before th» accused went aboard the vessel. Chief-Detective McMahcn said ha considered that by knowingly baying the articles below th© cost price, and knowing that to purchase them was illegal, the accused was guilty of theft. The magistrate said he must dismiss the charsra of theft: if the charee had been one of receivinc stolen goods he would bo inclined to convict. The police at once laid a charge of receiving the goods Counsel pleaded guilty to this, and the magistrate imposed a fine of £30.

Tho third offence alleged was tho theft of 2olb of kauri gum, valued at 355, the property of R. H. M. Puckey. The owner Kavo evidence that the accused called and asked if he had any gum for sale. When shown a tin full he refused to pur chase it. but a week later witness found it had been stolen. Later the gum was recovered from accused, who said he had bought it from some unknown person. • •The magistrate imposed a further fine of £10.

On a charge of having purchased 1281b of cum without a license, th» accused was fined £1 On a similar charge of having bought 271b he was convicted and discharged.