BURGLARY AT WANGANUI

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18748, 29 December 1922, Page 5

BURGLARY AT WANGANUI

THEFT FROM A SAFE. A YOUNG MAN’S ADMISSION. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WANGANUI, December 28. At the Magistrate’s Court this. morning a young man named Gordon Tod May was charged with breaking and entering , the shop of Thcrkelaen (Ltd.) and stealing iA( 5s 2d. Detective-sergeant Cameron said when ho visited the shop on the morning after the robbery ho found a piece of paper under the door leading from the office to the'right-of-way. The office was open, and on the floor near the safe were two small lots of brass filings, and in the keyhole of the safe was some candle grease. On the following morning, with Constables Wainhouso and Wilson, further inquiries were made, and accused was interviewed and admitted the offence. Accused handed over to witness £74 of the stolen money at Castlecliff, and £ls 15s 8d was in his possession when arrested. He also had a steamer ticket to. Lyttelton, a new pipe and a silver cigarette case and a tobacco pouch, .which he said he had purchased with some -of- the stolen money. In his signed statement accused said he had been five vears with the firm as an apprentice, and had received the award rate of wages of £2 per week. Out of this he paid 10s per week towards his board, and retained the remainder of the monev to buy clothes and for his amusement. He wanted sufficient. money to go to Clu-istchurch to visit a young lady. He decided to trv and get money from the safe. On the first night ho saw a light and went home again. On the second occasion he brought, a brace and bit. but the point was too blunt, and he could not bore through the door. On the third day he set a rat trap near the door lending to the right-of-way, and at the same time unlocked the door. He knew where the kev was kept, and opened the sa f e. He left some brass filimrs near the safe and put grease in the kevhole. Ho spent £5 out of the silver, and about 35s out of the notes. Accused pleaded guilty, and said he was very short of money at the time, and had to obtain money one way or the other. His father was away up country nt the time, and he faccused) could hot obtain monev in any other way. AH the deficiency would he made up. He was committed to the Supreme Court at Wanganui for sentence.