DARING BURGLARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21912, 22 September 1934, Page 10

DARING BURGLARY

NEWTON JEWELLER'S LOSS I

ARTICLES WORTH OVER £looq

ENTRY BY MAN-HOLE ON ROOF

The theft of jewellery valued at over I £IOOO from the premises of Mr. James '' Pascoe, jeweller, in Karangahape Road Newton, on Thursday night, led to widespread investigation bv detectives yesterday. Almost every piece of gold in the shop, with the exception of the more valuable articles that had been locked in the strong-room, was stolen. Special precautions taken wheh the building was constructed to make it burglar-proof did not deter, the thief who entered through a man-hole on > the roof, and left by the basement door, which ho opened from the inside.'? Steel doors and barred windows make tho premises almost impregnable, but a raid from the roof had never been anticipated, «nd it was comparatively easy to wrench off the man-hole cover with the aid of a stout jemmy. Climbed Pipe to Roof It is believed ..that the thief adopted the methods used in several other recent burglaries, and scaled a drain-pipe to reach tho roof. There are indications that he climbed a pipe to the roof of Rendell's, Limited, from Cross Street, and walked a considerable dia- ' tance over iron roofs to the premises of Mr. Fascoe. The theft was discovered after midnight when a con- 1 stable noticed tho double door of the basement ajar. From the roof the intruder gained access to one of the workrooms, and after stealing pieces of gold jewellery contained in a number of packets, he searched the offices, stealing small suras in cash. It was in the main shop, however, and just inside the door, that the bulk of the gold was found. Deliberate Methods A light left burning in the shop all night assisted the thief in his search of two showcases. Covers placed over the showcases at night were still in position when the burglary was discovered, and it is assumed that the j thief knelt on the floor, hidden by the covers, while he ransacked the shelves. There was every indication that the theft was. qarried out in a deliberate and careful manner, as the intruder discriminated between articles of solid gold and others of rolled-gold. From the showcase nearest Hie door every gold watch it contained was taken. The missing watches include all types ranging from dainty "styles for women to hunters and other pocketwatches. A few of the cheaper diamond rings, some with the stones set in platinum, were stolen from the same case. Insurance on Stock The second display case yielded i miscellany of gold jewellery, including rings, pendants, bangles, studs, links and tie-pins. There was not a wedding ring left in the shop, while all the signet rings on display were taken. In some instances the thief removed complete pads of rings, but other articles were taken from the cases in which they were on display, and the cases left behind the counter, with pieces of jewellery the thief did not ( fancy. An office on the ground floor was searched by the burglar, btft he did not interfere with either the strong-room or several safes on the premises. The stock is covered by insurance.