JEWEL ROBBERY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22981, 8 March 1938, Page 16

JEWEL ROBBERY

YOUNG; MEN CHARGED WELL KNOWN IN MAYFAIR TWO TO RECEIVE "CAT" [from our own correspondent] LONDON, Feb. 10 A sensational jewel robbery trial, in which four young public school men well known in Mayfair were involved, came to an end yesterday after four; days. Sentences of imprisonment varying from 18 months to seven years were passed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Hewart, and two moil were ordered to be given the "cat." The accused were Robert Paul Harlev. aged 26, David Wilmer, aged 24. Peter Martin Jenkins, aged 22, and John Christopher Mainwaring Lonsdale, aged 24, all of whom gave addresses in the West End of London. Harlev and Wilmer are souk of distinguished army officers; Jenkins' father is a business man in London; and Lonsdale is the son of a woollen merchant. Harley was at one time in the Canadian Light Infantry Lived in Luxury Lonsdale, according to police evidence, studied for the Diplomatic Service, was bought out of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, served in the Royal Air Forco but was discharged for over-staying leave, and deserted from the Dorset Regiment. The police said they had reason to believe he had been to Spain dealing in armaments for the insur-gents-and had been in the Foreign Legion there. Jenkins had been bound over for six cases of obtaining credit by fraud. All lived in luxury and had the reputation of being fashionable young men-about-town. The men were all charged with conspiring together and with other persons unknown to steal rings belonging to Cartier, Limited, of New Bond Street; robbing Etienno Bellenger of eight diamond rings; and robbing Bellenger and using personal violence. Harley was charged with receiving eight diamond rings. Harley and Lonsdale pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Wilmer and Jenkins pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring and not guilty to the other charges. Harley later pleaded guilty to receiving tho rings. Oase for Prosecution The case for the prosecution was that the accused took a suite of rooms at the Hyde Park Hotel on December 20 and, under an assumed name and on the pretext of wanting to buy a valuable ring, got Mr. Bellenger, a director of Cartier, Limited, to call with nino rings valued at £13,700. While the rings were being examined by Jenkins and Wilmer, the Crown alleged, Harley came out of a bedroom wearing a handkerchief over the lower part of his face and tinted glasses, and attacked Mr. Bellenger with a mallet This incident, according to evidence given by the jeweller, occurred after Wilmer had made a sign toward tho bedroom. Mr. Bellenger struggled but was struck on tho head at least 15 times and, although he did not lose consciousness, eventually pretended to be unconscious to prevent further injury. The men then made off with eight of tho .rings, tho prosecution alleged, leaving Mr. Bellenger lying 011 the. floor with six fractures of the skull. Harley and Wilmer, it was claimed, were parties to the violence, and Jenkins could have aided and abetted. Lonsdale was not there, but he took part in earlier discussions and went to Oxford with Wilmer and Jenkins later. Evidence by Accused Harley in his evidence denied that he struck the blows and claimed that he was being blamed by, tho other nocused. He said that he was not at tho hotel at the time but was given the rings subsequently by Wilmer and Jenkins and intended to hand them over to the insurance company. Wilmer and Jenkins admitted beinc concerned in the plot to rob the jeweller but they emphatically denied that they knew violence was to be used by Harley. Wilmer said ho was horrified, absolutely astounded and terrified when he saw Harley appear. Lonsdale said he did not know the robbery had taken place until the evening:, when ho was too drunk to understand Avhat ho was told. After an hour's retirement tho jury found the accused guilty on all counts, except that Lonsdale was acquitted of the robbery and robbery with violence charges. Twenty Strokes of "Oat" Harley was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude to run concurrently with two years' hard labour, and was ordered to receive 20 strokes of tho "cat." Wilmer was sentenced to five years' penal servitude, concurrently with two years' hard labour, and was ordered to receive 15 strokes of the "cat." Jenkins was sentenced .to three years' penal servitude, concurrently with two years' hard labour, and Lonsdale was sentenced to 18 months' hard labour. "The word education has been used about all of you," Lord Hewart said in sentencing the men. "If I thought you really were educated men it would probably bo necessary for me to be more severe. But probably all that is .meant is that somebody has spent money in providirfc you with certain conventional opportunities, of education, the results of which are not impressive.''