MAORIS STEAL BACON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18533, 18 October 1923, Page 7

MAORIS STEAL BACON.

• ■}■' : : ' ;^v-J.. ,.'.'.-.'. ■■■."..■ '**...'."/:' V'' l ' l / - "JOKE" THAT PROVED COSTLY

/SUPREME COURT SENTENCE.! Two young Maoris, Ben Reedy ,'* and Henaie Rika; Heke, were brought before Mr. Justice Stringer,' in the Supreme Court yesterday, for sentence in respect of a charge of breaking, entering, and theft, to which each had pleaded guilty: in the lower Court. - N: Mr. Singer, -on behalf : ; of Reedy, : said the offence was ;rather in the nature ;of a stupid joke than a criminal act. A Maori farmer in the Tokomaru Bay district .constantly boasted in the township, where ': accused > and various relations of the . farmer resided, of the quality of his bacon. The residents ;; decided to. play a' joke upon ■: him, and the two ; prisoners were deputed to abstract some of the 1 bacon. - j His Honor: They abstracted a good deal i more than' a sample—some SCO pounds.^ 'h'(\ j ■.' Counsel, continuing, said the bacon .was ' distributed and eaten no profit was made upon it. He understood that ? the farmer, when he realised who was concerned, de- . sired to withdraw -the' prosecution, but; it was too late.;, Liquor '-.was,! he thought, J the cause of Reedy's trouble. s '-.- Mr. Meredith,: for ' the l Grown, said j. Reedy, when on war! service, received"; 18 t* :months' imprisonment for being inipli-j cated with others in the shooting of an i. officer. .■■■'-. . ■ I His Honor said he did .".think he would take into consideration any military offence, but the -~ police ..reported,. that | prisoner's conduct generally • was ; unsatisfactory. : It : might be that; there was, ah element of humour in r the case; but if ; this was prisoner's idea •? of ':. humour lie ; wor'd ■ have to spoil it for him. ; A sen- • tence of three months' imprisonment was imposed. In regard to Hoke, Mr. Meredith stated .. ,that .hisl past : reputation was good, and ; the suggestion, was that "ho- had:? been led'j; into the offence by Reedy. , tHeko re- ] nmined outside while Reedy entered and ■ took the bacon. The total value of :the I' bacon stolen i was £15, but the" lower , Court had ordered restitution to the extent of ; £8 from - others comvrned in ; the . matter. ■I His Honor J admitted Heke to probation for two years, ' and ordered him to ; pay by ; ; instalments £5 toward the value :of the bacon, and £4 costs s of the prosecution.