THEFTS ON A STEAMER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3016, 3 January 1912, Page 4

THEFTS ON A STEAMER.

PRECOCIOUS YOUTH IN COURT. In the City Police Court on December 26, before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, a youth named Robert Pomeroy, who gave his age as 16i years, appeared to answer six charges of theft. The offences were committed on board the s.s. Tarawera while on the voyage from the north to Dunedin, and extended from the 22nd to the 25th inst. The articles stolen were of a very varied character, and embraced amongst others a handbag valued at £2, the property of Mrs Briggs, a passenger on the boat, and a large assortment of personal effects belonging to the stewards, including four pairs of socks, a pair of boots, a watch and chain, a fountain pen, a sovereign case, a coat and vest, a razor, etc. The total value of the purloined articles was about £2O in all. Pomeroy pleaded “Guilty” to all the charges, and elected to bo dealt with summarily. Sub-inspector Cruickshank stated that on the 22nd of the present month the accused was engaged as a night-watchman on board the t.s.s. Tarawera, then at Wellington. On the way down from Lyttelton to Dunedin his work was unsatisfactory, and the steward ordered him to hand in his resignation to the captain. This he did, but when the ship got near Dunedin his movements became somewhat suspicious, and a lady passenger, the owner of the article named in the first charge, complained to the steward that she had lost her hand-bag. This, together with the accused’s peculiar movements, caused him to bo watched, and on leaving the ship at Dunedin he was followed and. taken hack by the stewards. The police wore then sent for, and they found him wearing some of the articles mentioned in the charges. Accused was born in Invercargill and was brought up there, but i ad been in Australia and at sea, round the coast, coming to New Zealand only sune three months ago. Ho was convicted at Invercargill about four years ago and committed to the Burnham Industrial School, from which he had been liberated in a rather obscure manner owing to some agitation by his father. Having no particulars of that conviction or committal he asked for a short remand for the purpose of gaining some further information from InvcrcarWorship remarked that the previous conviction had oecn quashed on a technicality, and before passing sentence ho would like to know more about it. Accused w’ould be convicted on all the charges and remanded for sentence until January 2. Full inquiries in the meantime wees* to bo made by the police and Mr AxoUen and the goods restored to their various owners.