ALLEGATIONS DENIED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27057, 16 April 1949, Page 11

ALLEGATIONS DENIED

BREAKING AND ENTERING N CHARGE YOUNG MAN TO STAND TRIAL Allegations ot breaking and entering and theft were strenuously denied by Gardiner John Sidon, a male nurse, aged 22. in the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning. After hearing evidence and a statement, by the accused, Sidon was committed bv Mr J. G. Warrington, S.M., to the Supreme Court for trial, bail, which was opposed by Chief Detective T. Y Hall, being granted in self £IOO and one surety of a like amount. He •was ordered to report to the police twice daily. The charge against Sidon was that between March 26 and March 28 he broke and entered the countinghouse of H. Harraway and Son, Ltd., Green Island, and stole therefrom articles and money of a total value of £3 Is sd. Evidence was given by Harold William Hudson, manager of the firm, of finding on the* morning of Monday, March 28, that the offices had been entered over the week-end, drawers and cupboards having been ransacked and a cigarette

lighter, a wallet, a torch, and 12s In money taken. Detective Sergeant James Arthur Marshall said that in company with Constable Thomas Milton Turnbull he went to an hotel in the city on March 31 and saw the accused who later accompanied witness and the constable to the detective office He was asked to turn out his pockets and from an inside pocket he took a wallet. He said he had bought it in Wellington six months before. There was a postal note in the wallet, the accused explaining that he had had this for about three months. Witness saw the accused again next morning when he had collected four suitcases from the left luggage office. In one of the cases was a torch which was one of the articles concerned in the present charge. So far as witness was aware, the accused had not been before the court previously on any charge involving dishonesty. Corroborative evidence was given by Constable Turnbull. Mr A. G. Neill, who appeared for the accused, submitted that there was no evidence before the court connecting the accused with breaking and entering. The /articles had been found in his possession, 'hut this was quite consistent with his having received them. Counsel thought the matter could be dealt with by the court and he asked that the charge should be reduced to one of receiving. The magistrate held that a prima facie case had been made out. Evidence was given by the accused that •on Saturdav. March 26, he came to the city about 7 p.m. and went to the Town Hall dance. Ho returned home at 1 a.m.

the next day. On the afternoon of that day he had gone for a walk with his father and had been home all night. Witness slated that he picked up the articles, with the exception of the torch, on the morning of Thursday, March 31, at the corner of Surrey street and Main South road, Caversham. The accused explained that he was ” pretty full ” when he was interviewed at the detective office, and he admitted that the verbal statements that he made there were not true. He added that he thought he knew the owner of the wallet and the postal note, and lie intended returning them. He had bought the torch while working in a hospital in Auckland. He had never been in trouble before.