TYRE THIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25552, 3 June 1944, Page 8

TYRE THIEF

NINE MONTHS’ IMPRISONMENT

PREVALENCE OF OFFENCE (P.A.) AUCKLAND, June 2. No mercy would be shown to those who indulged in tyre stripping, said Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., this morning, when he sentenced to nine months imprisonment Ernest Syme, aged 39, a carpenter, who admitted stealing four motor car wheels, tyres, and tubes, of a total value of £3l 15s. It is a mean and miserable offence, and is an indication of the spirit of avarice and selfishness which is, unfortunately, abroad in the community,’ said Mr Luxford. “Whether it is a question of a black market or not, the court will impose exemplary punishment. It was disclosed during the hearing that an average of four cars a week were taken from the city to the suburbs and there stripped of their wheels, tyres, and tubes. . , The police said that Syme was found at 3 a.m. on May 31 in View road, Mount Eden, carrying a wheel, which he dropped. He tKen ran off, but was pursued and caught. He admitted to a constable that he had stolen the wheel from the yard of a bakery firm, and had taken two wheels (the one with which he was found being the second), and he further admitted that on May 28, at midnight, he stole two wheels from a parked car in Grey Lynn. His explanation was that he was the owner of a car, and was unable to secure tyres. He had decided, therefore, to steal the wheels in order to get tyre% Detective Sergeant Aplin, after referring to the prevalence of such thefts, and the difficultv of detection, said it was apparent that a black market had sprung up in Auckland and that organised thefts of wheels, tyres, etc., were being committed. The matter was causing grave concern to the authorities. It was unfortunate that vehicle owners did not keep a note of the serial numbers of their wheels, and tyres or place some distinctive mark on them for identification purposes. The police had found difficulty in obtaining sufficient evidence of ownership to warrant convictions. Mr Aekins, (Counsel for Syme, said that the accused had not been operating on the black market, and the wheels and tyres were found in his garage. He pleaded for leniency.