THEFT OF JEWELLERY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11685, 24 November 1923, Page 2

THEFT OF JEWELLERY

HAWKER SENT TO GAOL. DENIAL UNAVAILING. A deter ni led denial that be waa Ilf any way implicated in the theft from the Sff"2^.i , 3Sr3£d o lFs!i 15s, was made before Mr E. Page, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday by a hawker named David Thomas MeGavin, aged 4L , . . , The evidence of toe complainant and his wife showed that accused, in comp&ny with s man named Marshall, en* tered the shop with a bag and negotiated for the sale of some material. On going behind the glass partition to show the material to his wife, Coltman noticed Marshall with his hands in the window, and a moment later he dashed Detective Jarrold declared that he came upon Marshall being pursued in Vivian street by the ©omplaiant. At the shop accused denied having known Marshall or having been connected with him at all. _ . On the Bench declaring that tne evidence against McGavin was too strong to allow of his acquittal, Mr A. J. Mazengarb placed his client in the bear. In cross-examination Chief-Detective Kemp elicited from the defendant the fact that ho had been previously sentenced to a month's imprisonment for stowing away, threo months for vagrancy, and six months for stealing at Sydney. He did not remember a three months' sentence for vagrancy at Christchurch, nor fourteen days -for playing an unlawful game at Timaru. "So that you are .a well-known thief and vagrant?" concluded the chief-de-tective. Accused denied it. The magist *&te held that the case demanded a conviction as the curcumstances pointed to the fact that McGavin' was gafltT. There Was one fact, remarked His Worships which called for comment, and that was that the two men had gone in to sell the material. This appeared superfluous. The police evidence therefore merited a conviction, and a sentenoe of six months’ hard labour waa passed on the accused.