"JOY RIDING" BY YOUTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19386, 22 July 1926, Page 13

"JOY RIDING" BY YOUTH

A SERIES OF CHARGES. "RACING IN THE STREETS." PLEA OF IRRESPONSIBILITY. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Wednesday Six charges of unlawfully converting motor-cars valued at £l6lO to his use were admitted by Edward Robert Martin Norman, a youth aged 17 years, in the Police Court to-day. Roy Davis Belt, another youth, who did not appear, was charged with the unlawful conversion of ten motor-cars, six of them in conjunction with Norman. " Belt is still in hospital and is likely to be there tor about a month," said Chief-Detective Ward. A week's remand was granted. " Norman and Belt have been taking cars at night and going ' joy riding,' " said the chief detective. " The practice was for each of them to take a car and race one another about the streets. One car driven by Belt was damaged to the extent of £4O and another to the extent of £175. They are apparently quite irresponsible. Norman was before the Court last July for unlawful conversion of a car and again in February for theft. lie was then placed on probation for a year." Mr. B. Egley, who appeared for Norman asked that another term of probation be imposed. " Belt seems to have been the prime mover in these escapades," said counsel, " and I suggest that these offences did not disclose any criminal tendencies. If Norman is placed in a Borstal institution for a number of years it will probably wreck his life. He is merely irresponsible."

Norman was remanded for sentence until Friday morning pending a report by the probation officer.