JEWEL ROBBERIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23482, 20 October 1939, Page 11

JEWEL ROBBERIES

RECENT CITY CRIMES 1 TWO OFFENDERS DEALT WITH - ' I, \A . LEADER'S PREVIOUS RECORD DETENTION FOR THREE YEARS The man chiefly responsible for two recent large jewellery burglaries in the city o and two associates came up together, for sentence before" Mr. Justice Fair in the Supreme Court yesterday. They were Kenneth Hugh Bennetts,, salesman, aged 21, against whom therewere seven charges, Leo Leonard Colqu-. houn, labourer, aged-25, who was associated with Bennetts in one charge of breaking and entering a shop and"; theft, and Allan Farquhar Young, lab-'' ourer, aged 19, who was associated witli' Bennetts in another such charge. ' - - Mr. Aekins appeared for Bennetts " and Mr. Sullivan for Colquhoun. 'No , counsel appeared for Young, and ho wasremanded for sentence at a later date,.;'; Property Worth Over £IOOO

The shops broken into were t,hoses of G. S. Hutchinson, jewelltr,. in the Queen's Arcade, and of Ernest M(£ j - Feat, jeweller, of Karangahape " Road, " and the value of the jewellery and money involved totalled £1032. Mr. Aekins said that Bennetts had . had a major part in series of" crimes, and had not endeavoured in any way to escape responsibility. A receiver who had obtained about £6OQ--.< worth of jewellery from Bennetts and'* given him £'lo cash was, in counsel's' .* opinion, much worse than any of these men.

Mr. Sullivan.'suggested th„at the cir-'" cumstances warranted probation for" Colquhoun, At Bennetts' suggestion lie"'" got a - jemmy and after consuming six bottles of beer he went with him. He took some gold watches home with- - him, but his parents, seeing them,;' immediately had them returned. Df-ink. had been his trouble. . .

The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. V. R.' ' Meredith, said these crimes property worth over £IOOO. of which-. 0 little had been recovered. In one case 1 "* £678 worth was stolen and £32 'was -" recovered. < 'Comments by the Judge • His Honor said that Bennetts, had a criminal record and was /actually''.on'" , " licence from Borstal at the time of those offences. He had no reason for embarking on crime in this way.. He would be treated very leniently iW; being sentenced to three years' . re- , formative detention. . - ' " r * Colquhoun stood in a different posi- " tion, and seemed to have been led by"" - Bennetts into this rerv serious crime, F His Honor continued. He must, how-".;." ever, have realised the seriousness, of the crime. The least sentence that..:,, could be imposed would be' 12 months' -.><• reformative detention. *