MILTON POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16594, 18 January 1916, Page 9

MILTON POLICE COURT

"A RAILWAY THEFT. A young man named Herbert William Harrhy, a porter at the Milton Railway Station, was charged, before Mr Acheson, S.M., at the Milton Police Court on Saturday, with the theft of a bag of sugar, valued at 12s 9d. Mr D. Reid defended. '"onstablo Fox, in outlining the case for the prosecution, stated, inter alia, that the accused unloaded a consignment of 60 bags of sugar into the goods shed on Tuesday .morning. When the carter took delivery an hour later one bag of sugar was reported missing. Later on the same day the bag was discovered by the goods clerk (Mr Fowler) hidden in a powder tank in the shed. The matter was reported to the station master and Constable F.ox, and a' watch was kept night and day until Friday morning at 6 o'clock. Four hours later the bag had been removed, and placed under aomo covers outside the shed, and put into a sack. During the afternoon the accused handed tile sack to a loc-aj. carter, with instructions to deliver it at Kk (the accused's) - residence. This was noticed, and the no- i cused was suspended from duty; he handed B in his resignation a little while afterward.-,. ■ The.'constable stated that other petty thefts * had occurred at the Milton Railway Station, but the offender had not been caught,. Mr Reid, for the defence, referred to the accused s previous good character, and produced references fronl Port Chalmers' rer-i----dents, to which town the accused belong] He had given way to a. sudden tempt-, tinn to steal. It was his first lansc. and he (counsel) submitted that the r-rensrd .should receive the benefit of the First Offenders Probation Act. The Magistrate pointed out to t.he no- ' c»ed, the serious nature of his offence. He was luckv in not, beincr charr-d under the Crimes, Act. Talcinr- everyllvri-r into consideration. he would be convicted, r„,d ordered to oome up for sentence when c-ilK] upon. He would be_ kept under police, supervision for some time.