UNDESIRABLE YOUTHS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18223, 17 October 1922, Page 9

UNDESIRABLE YOUTHS.

. LONG SERIES (DF OFFENCES. STRONG COMMENT BY BENCH LAD SENT TO TRAINING FARM. j. A series of offences was admitted by j. three youths who appeared before Mr. J'. Ie W. Poynton, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. Two of the lads were said .j. to be members of a gang of larrikins r . recently broken up by the police, and. both were very unfavourably reported JS on by the probation officer, j Frederick George Lester, aged 17, who j' had previously admitted stealing a, felt hat, assaulting a Hindu, and stealing . two apples from a Hindu hawker, admitted having failed to comply with the terms of his release on probation. T William Edward Grace, aged 17, who > had admitted assaulting a Hindu hawker d and a Salvation Army officer, ancj stealr. ing two apples from the Hindu hawker, pleaded guilty to having stolen a suit length valued at £2 ss, and also to six charges of theft of money, totalling about £10, from various places in the city and suburbs. The latter thefts had ®> been committed, it was alleged, in comr pany with another lad and a man. y James Henry Cooper, alged 18, admitted having stolen a suit length valued >' at £2 ss. The offence had been committed in company with Grace. The 0 boys had stated to the police that they > found the cloth on the Frankton June* 11 tion station and had consigned it to e Napier, intending to go there later ajid •> claim it. 3 The probation officer reported that Lesa t-er was convicted on eight charges of 1 theft in 1921, and his conduct after t being released on probation was a.nv- - thing but satisfactory. His father bad - deserted his mother, who went out to - work, and the boy did as he liked. Ho 3 would not work, but preferred to loaf a about the city. He went about the I suburbs with a gang of boys insulting 1 people, The probation officer recom:l mended that Lester should be com.nitted • to the Weraroa training farm. , , The magistrate said that Grace had - earned a very bad report from tlie pro- , bation officer. Ho was placed under the 1 probation officer for six months in 1918 - on charges of theft, and was again be--1 for« the Court for theft in 1920, being , again placed under supervision. Imme- . diatelv he was discharged from the a probation officer's care there were num°i' - ous complaints, Grace being described as 5 a " little blackguard." t Grace was committed to the BorstaJ - Institute fcr a period not exceeding two a years. 3 Lester, who the magistrate said, was a r bad character, and did not deserve any 1 further consideration wa-s remanded till 1 to-morrow. i Cooper was remanded for a week pend- . ing a report as to his character.