SHOPLIFTING IN CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20599, 25 June 1930, Page 15

SHOPLIFTING IN CITY.

jfAftRIED WOMAN'S OFFENCES the question of penalty. MAGISTRATE GRANTS PROBATION Detected by a shop assistant as she *os in the act of stealing in a city store on Monday afternoon, a married woman, Mary May Keep, aged 30, appeared in the Police Court yesterday on four charges of theft from large stores in the city. The total value of the articles, which ranged' from silk stockings to razor blades and a pair of pliers, was £3 5s 6id. Two of the offences, which were all admitted, wero committed last Wednosday, the others taking place on Saturday and Monday. Sub-Inspector Shannhan stated that accused was married woman with a child of two or three years, and her husband was working for the Public Works Department in the country. At 3.30 on Monday afternoon an assistant in a city store saw accused taking things and called a constable. It was then found that the woman had the other articles mentioned in the first charge in her possession. Her home later searched and tho other goods ivhicii she was charged with stealing were found. " The circumstances indicate that accused has been carrying this sort of thing on for some time, that this is not an isolated case/' concluded the sub-inspector. "It occurred on three or four days. 1 thought, this offence had been put down since I sent the last offender to gaol," remarked the magistrate, Mr. F. K. Hunt. Mr. Sullivan said that neither the husband nor the wife had been able to obtain employment since October, and they had been living on their small savings since. Some of the articles stolen were of no use to the woman, who had no need of the razor blades. She had taken the pliers with the idea of mending her boots. " It is one of those extraordinary and unaccountable things which come before the Court," continued Mr. Sullivan. "It is not s case of systematic thieving, and the woman had no intention of selling the articles. It all occurred at - one time about the end of the week. As the case is inexplicable, I am asking that ihe Court should grant this woman probation." The female probation officer, Major Annie Gordon, stated that she would recommend probation on account of the child, which was only two years old. " If accused is imprisoned it will inflict » terrible hardship on the child." she concluded.

"If I give her probation I will have another Woman up next week before me. I will send any others to gaol probably," said the magistrate, who placed accused on probation for 12 months. When the question of restitution was raised, the sub-inspector stated that most of the goods were in a sufficiently good order to be returned and an order for their return was made.