THEFT OF CAR BATTERY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 10

THEFT OF CAR BATTERY

RAILWAY EMPLOYEE’S LAPSE SEQUEL TO RECENT SMASH (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, May 13. Attributing the accused’s lapse to overstrain, counsel made a strong plea for leniency in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when Frederick John Charles Smith, a railway employee of 17 years’ standing, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft. The charge was that at Aylesbury he stole a motor car battery valued at £6 10s. the property of the New Zealand railways. Smith was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within 12 months by Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M. Detective Sergeant Holmes said that Smith had been employed with a number of other men to clear up debris after the Aylesbury train smash. The accused took the battery from the guard’s van and brought it to Christchurch. He frankly admitted to a detective that he had stolen it. It was the first occasion on which Smith had been in court for any reason, counsel said, and during his long period of service with the Railways Department he had earned the respect of all. He had a fine record and the only apparent reason for his lapse was that he had been slipping a little. His wife had not properly recovered from a serious illness and recently his eldest son had been incapacitated in an accident at work. Smith had two children dependent on him and lately he had been working a lot of overtime and was suffering from overstrain.