JOURNEY OF CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20602, 28 June 1930, Page 16

JOURNEY OF CRIME.

TOUR IN STOLEN CARS.

OFFENCES BY" COMPANIONS.

TWO YOUNG MEN SENTENCED.

fllY. TELEGRAPH. —MESS ASSOCIATION. ] NELSON. Friday,

Tho story of a tour of New' Zealand by two young men in stolen motc>r-cars_ was told in tho Magistrate's Court to-day when Frank Hubbard arid Erriostf Rex Johnson were sentenced on four charges of unlawful conversion of a motor-car, two charges of obtaining'.credit' by fraud, three of falso prctcnccs|>ono of attenipted false pretences and eight of "theft. In all thoro were "18 charges against-'Hubbard and 15 against Johnson. ' Detective Sinclair said 'that tho first of tho offences was committed', by Hubbard on May 8 when ho converted a motor-car to his own use at Wellington, Ho travolled in it to Hastings, 7 thpn returned to Woodville,.. arriving there on May 16. During that period ho had_ committed offences of theft. North Island Offences, •. . 1 Hubbard was then'*' joined-'hy Johnson, and they left together on ; a tour of\N<jw Zealand, first. travelling; to Rotorua: and then returning to Wellington. >v Before their, return to Wellington, however, they had committed a further,, five, offences of theft, four of falso. pretences,, and. had changed cars twice... t , From Wellington the... .two accused crossed t6 Lyttclton and travelled doyvn to Oamaru on ( the proceeds of valueless cheques. At Oamaru they converted nnothor car to their own use and proceeded to Timaru. . They abandoned that car at Timaru and tried another in which they travelled toward Ndlson. They abandoned this car near Tophouso, and came on to Nelson in a service car. During their Southern tour, continued tho detective, they committed " two offences of fraud and one of theft. On their arrival in NelsOn on May 27, they decided for somo reason or other to give themselves up, and they walked into the police station one afternoon and told their story. ;• • Apart from their conversion of cars, ho continued, thoy took property to tho value of £BO, including somo cash. Accused were together for 10 days only. Johnson was 20 years of age, and camo to New Zealand from England in 1926. Ho was a labourer by occupation. Apart from tho present offences, ho appeared to have a good record. Hubbard was 21 years old, a motor driver and mechanic, and ho came to New Zealand from England 18 months ago. As far as was known ho was a first offender. Request for Probation.

In a written statement to the magistrate tho accused asked for probation and another chance. .

The magistrate, Mr. T. E. Maunsell, said that probation • was out of tho question.' " You have seen fit to go on this tour of crime," he said, "and you will have to servo imprisonment. In the whole of my experience I have never , had- prisoners. before mo with such a number of charges of serious crime. You are young men, and I havp taken that-fact into consideration, and there is ; still time, for you to dovelbp into decent, respectable citizens."

For the theft of property of Vivian Bluck. accused were sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment each. For the theft of £4O, the property of Gilbert Merritt. they were sentenced to : i2 : months in gaol, tho sentences to bo concurrent. Upon tho expiration of this sentence accused aro to be detained for refoimativo }iurposes for a period not exceeding three years. _ .......

On all other charges, except for one that had a two months',, limit, sentences of three months' imprisonment were imposed to bo concurrent with the first sentences.