SHOPLIFTING SYSTEM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22183, 9 August 1935, Page 12

SHOPLIFTING SYSTEM

RAID ON FARM HOUSE GOODS ARRAYED IN COURT MAN AND WIFE CONVICTED ' [BY TKLEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] TIMARU, Thursday Goods valued at £213 5s 7d were involved in 42 charges of theft and receiving preferred against a man and his wife in the Magistrate's Court this morning. Tho charges wore the outcome of a raid by Detective E. Thomas, SeniorSergeant D. Hewitt and Constable V. 11. Ward at a house at Tycho, 12 miles from Timaru, on July 3.' Twenty-eight charges of theft wero preferred against Mary Eliza and seven charges of theft and sevon of receiving were preferred against Daniel Caswell. Somo 20 business houses are said to be affected, chiefly drapery firms. Tho goods displayed in Court included leather coats, umbrellas, dresses, women's underwear, rolls of dress material, hats, wool, silk, woollen hoso, socks, boots, cardigans, fur necklets, playing cards, lace, diaries, faco powder, gramophone records, towels and pillow slips. The fomalo accused pleaded guilty to four charges, but not guilty to 23. The male accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. Detective Thomas said that as a result of inquiries made accused's house at Tycho had been searched. Tho property in Court had been viewed by different business people and evidence would bo given that certain of the property identified had been definitely stoien. He pointed out that some of tho goods wero miscellaneous lines stocked by a number of "firms, and that it was difficult to provo thoso had been stolen. Accused wero a farming couple and cam© into Timaru by car every week. Tho male accused was the only one of the two ablo to drive a car, and the evidence would bo such as to prove that he assisted the fomalo accused to tho extent that ho became a principal. Thero were 28 police witnesses. After hearing the evidence tho magistrate said Mrs. Caswell appeared to be the controlling; spirit in a system of shoplifting. He ordered her to bo placed tinder reformative detention for ft period not exceeding 12 months on ong t charge of theft. On all tho other" charges she was convicted and discharged. ' Caswell was fined £SO on each of three charges of receiving, the fine to bo paid within seven days, in default four months' imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to bo cumulative. < At a subsequent sitting of the Court tlio magistrate said it was open to question whether he had jurisdiction to impose a fine exceeding £2O. He therefore reduced the fino on each of tho three charges regarding Caswell to that amount, the alternative to romain the same.