BRAZEN BEHAVIOUR

NZ Truth, Issue 998, 10 January 1925, Page 7

BRAZEN BEHAVIOUR

Young Lad With Old Ideas

To the Borstal for Three Years.

For cool, barefaced, downright audacity the career of a seventeen-year-old, short-trousered youth named George Brewer, as revealed at Auckland, takes some beating. Brewer arrived m the northern city just before Christmas, m the height of the season of goodwill and generosity, from the rising township of Morrinsville, and called on several agents for well-known makes of automobiles. His father, so he said, had commissioned him to make the final negotiations for the purchase of a particular make of car, but ere paying over he was desirous of having a "spin." / Several motormen acceded to the youth's wishes, for his story was so plausible as to gull even the most "Doubting Thomas." He came to terms with one tradesman and stated that he would take a car, after which the question of the payment was discussed. Brewer had everything m readiness and spoke of cheques and so on m the most glib terms, so as to create the idea that he was quite familiar with transactions of that nature running into hundreds of pounds. He had a cheque for £500 but had not seen the bank manager, but if the salesman would hold the car till the next morning at 10.30 he would take delivery and pay the price.

The next morning the salesman received a ring: from the "bank manager" stating- that- he had been called suddenly from the city, but, m regard to the cheque presented by young Brewer, that would be all right, and everything was m order. Some time afterwards the youth looked along to the garage, but on meditation, and m consequence of an . indescribable something, the salesman reckoned he had better fence for some time. So he put the youth off for half an hour, and m the meantime he rang the bank manager referred, to, with the result that he discovered the fraud. He at once got into touch with the police, and hai a couple of the detective staff ready to meet the youthful swindler when ho arrived. However, Brewer seems to have "got wind" of the explosion of . nis scheme, for he' did not turn up as appointed, and it was a day or so later ere he was arrested m the act of perpetrating a similar "stunt."

When Brewer faced S.M. Poynton for sentence on a charge of vagabondage, Chief Detective Cummings said he was a bad lot. He was the sort of boy who, when he could not get on .with his employer, killed some of the animals on the farm on which he was working at Morrinsville. i

Brewer pleaded - hard for one morn chance and stated that a man had promised to give him work.

The S.M. ventured the opinion that no one would be ablo to look after the youth. He. even killed the pigs on the farm on which he worked. This was strenuously denied by Brewer, who maintained that he had admitted the charge "simply for convenience."

Mi\ Cummings remarked that the Probation Officer m his report had remarked that Brewer was a "fearful liar."

The S.M. l'eckoned it would, be a dangerous thing for any person to employ the lad, who was a thoroughly bad character, young and all as he was. He made an. order of committal to the Borstal Institution for a term of three years.