ALLEGED BAG-SNATCHING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8680, 13 March 1914, Page 8

ALLEGED BAG-SNATCHING

A COURTENAY PLACE EPISODE. A young man named James Stephens, for whom Mr P. W. Jackson appeared, pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to steal a lady’s handbag, value £1 10s, containing £4 in gold, from Miriam K'utner on Saturday last, j Inspector Hendrey represented the police. Miriam Kutner said that on the day in question she saw accused in Courtenay place, and ho appeared to bo intoxicated. He lurched alongside her and seemed to touch her hand, which contained her purse. She distinctly felt him trying to get it. Accused then ran away, chased by her brother, who caught him. She felt accused distinctly grab her hand. He didn’t have a chance of catching hold of the hag. Daniel Kutner, father of the last witness, said that he was with his daughter at the time of the occurrence. He noticed the accused pass by his daughter and make a grab at the bag in her hand. He. then ran away. Ho would not say the man was drunk. In the beginning he thought the accused was under the influence of liquor, but when he saw him run, witness altered his opinion. Hyman Kutner also gave evidence. Mr Jackson said that , this was rather an extraordinary case. The man was drunk, and knew nothing about the occurrence. Ho certainly had not any criminal intention, and if there was no criminal intention the charge must fail. Bag-snatching was not a common offence, and is confined to a class which made a specialty of this work. Accused was a very respectable man, and it seemed extraordinary that ho would, in his sane senses, grab a lady’s bag in the presence of four or five persons. Mr Kutner, junr., had given the man a push, and over he went. It was not a very easy thing to push a man over unless he was drunk. Counsel quoted a case in the Supreme Court where a man had been discharged on a count of having committed an offence while drunk, on the ground that he did not know what he was doing, and in consequence there had been no criminal intention. Counsel contended that the two cases were synonymous.

The Magistrate said that although the circumstances were suspicious they were not strong enougli to dispel the doubt he had in his mind as to whether the man had any intention of stealing the bag. The information would be dismissed.