TRUCK CONVERTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24832, 4 February 1942, Page 4

TRUCK CONVERTED

. soldiers;; escapade: ■I DESERTION FROMtCAMjP Three military deserters, commandeered a, farmer's, motqrtruclc'Vih North Canterbury.; on. drove it until it broke down, and, thenicame on to Dunedih iii stagesby'rail,; were arrested at,their; homes at St; Leonards on Monday night. .'They, were Ernest Clark, a labourer, aged - 20,: Daniel Guy ton, a truck driver, aged 19, and William .Andrew: Eckhold, a . fireman, aged 19, and in the Police Court yesterday ythey pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully converting the truck, valued at £45,: and owned by Shirley Beatty.- .. s Detective Sergeant; H.. J. Le Sueur said the accused were members ofthe 11th Heavy Batt«y of: the New Zealand Artillery in camp hi North Canterbury. They deserted from camp at 9 o'clock on 'Saturday night arid walked to Colgate. They took a truck standing at the roadside near a farmer's gate and drove it in turn as far as Rakaia,. where it broke down or ran out of petrol. They then abandoned it. •■'" .' ,'■■

The men took an excursion train. to Timaru on Sunday, and later travelled to Oamaru, Detective Le Sueur continued. On Monday they came on to Dunedin by the express. Inquiries were made by the police, who ascertained that the men had returned to their homes at St. Leonards, where they were later arrested. "They have to be dealt with by the military authorities for desertion, and it might suffice to hand them over to be treated in this way," said Detective Le Sueur. He added that Clark was at present on .probation, but the other men had no previous convictions. The truck was damaged, but the police did not know to what extent. ..,.,, ,;;.-•■. A military police officer- fold the court that if the .owner of the truck put in a claim for the damage,- the amount would probably be taken out of the accused's military pay. " You boys, are rather a disgrace to the uniform," said the magistrate, Mr H. W. Bundle, convicting the accused arid ordering them to come up for sentence if called nponwithmi'l,?-months; They were ordered to /pay for the damage caused to the truck, and Ve're given intq the charge of the military authorities.