AN IMPUDENT THIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24347, 11 July 1940, Page 8

AN IMPUDENT THIEF

ADVERTISED CHALLENGE TO DETECTIVE SENTENCED TO PRISON TERM (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON, July 'lO. ' "Catch me if you can, Robertson. Am one jump ahead. Tom." This advertisement, which appeared in a Wellington newspaper, was inserted by Thomas Edward i Winnie., a labourer, aged-28, who' pleaded ;• guilty to-day in the Petone Court, before Mr A, M. Goulding, S.M. to stealing a bicycle valued at £5. Detective-sergeant F. N. Robinson, who conducted the prosecution, stated that the defendant was drinking in the Grand National Hotel during the afternoon cf June 17. When he left he took a bicycle from a verandah and rode it about o mile to a second-hand dealer's shop and sold it for £l, giving a false name and address. He later got to knew that the detectivesergeant was making inquiries for him. Winnie kept out of the officer's way and had the advertisement mentioned inserted on July 4. He had a list of previous convictions tor offence's involving dishonesty. "Now the defendant realises that he was not one jump ahead," commented Detective-sergeant Robinson. The defendant was sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labour.