AIRCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24834, 6 February 1942, Page 4

AIRCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHED

UNAUTHORISED ACTION FLIGHT RIGGER CHARGED (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH. Feb. 5. In the first case of its kind in Christchurch Charles Green, married, aged 31, a flight rigger at the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Wigram, was charged in the Magistrate’s Court with taking eight photographs of aeroplanes without the written authority of an authorised officer between December 17 and December 31 at Christchurch. He was ordered to come up for sentence if called on within 12 months and was ordered to pay costs. Senior Detective H. Nuttall said that Green had been attached to the Air Force since 1940 and well knew that he could not take photographs without permission. Having taken the photographs and knowing the difficulty in getting them developed he had handed them to a young woman in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, who had been employed with an Invercargill chemist at one time and who could get them developed. The chemist had handed them to the police. The magistrate granted an adjournment in the morning to enable a»representative of the Air Force authorities to be questioned as he wished to know their attitude and the effect of a conviction on Green’s standing. ‘

On the resumption of the hearing Flying Officer J. G. Dunstan said that Green’s record had been excellent. As to the offence, the authorities were convinced that there was nothing behind it at all, and as far as the commanding officer’s attitude was concerned he was entitled to state that Green would be treated as having broken station orders. To the magistrate Green said his action had not been underhand in going to this particular woman as she had said she could get the photographs developed at cut prices. The magistrate: This is the first case of its kind in Christchurch and I am not going to make an example of you because of what the officer said about you. But understand that if there is any further nonsense of this sort I will not be a bit lenient or patient.