DEMAND FOR £200

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14069, 16 February 1939, Page 5

DEMAND FOR £2OO

THREATENING LETTERS WRITTEN “MAY BURN )OWN YOUR HOUSE.” lulectric Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, Last Night. Threatened tnat “anti-capital-istic racketeers were operating in New Zeaiand and had marked him down to suffer materia! loss,’’ a Wellington business man received an anonymous letter requesting £2OO as a guarantee of protection. He received more letters, and after a telephone conversation with an unknown person drove to Lyall Bay, where the money was to have been collected. Two detectives were hidden in the car and after a chase a man was arrested. Douglas Maxwell, labourer, aged 27, pleaded guilty in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, to-day to four charges of demanding £2OO .with menaces from William Richard Kenner and to two charges of causing to be received letters threatening to burn down a building. He was committed by Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., jfco the Supreme Court for sentence. William Richard Kenner, governing director of Kenners, Limited, furniture manufacturers, Wellington, Said he received a typewritten letter marked '‘Personal” on January 12 addressed to him at his home, Rodrigo Road, Kilbirnie. The letter was posted in Petone and was as follows: ‘ HORROR OF EXPLOSION.” “There are anti-capitalistic racketeers operating in New Zealand and they have marked you down to suffer material loss. This means that they may burn down your house or destroy your bach, which would be ' disastrous. The horror of an explosion in the middle of the night: would not benefit nerves of iron. I can protect you from this possible catastrophe and offer vou immunity from all harm. * The cost to you of this guaranteed protection is only i:200 cash. This is cheap compared with the loss and inconvenience you may suffer from the Communistic factions. Please treat this letter seriously, as the - hreat to your property and personal safety is definite. It may not happen this month or this week, but it will happen. Adver vise your decision in the ‘Evening Post’ personal column on next Monday night. Use the nom-de-plume ‘K. Iv. —Pro-Capi-talist.” Witness said the letter had a serious effect on him. He took it as a demand for money and gathered from the threat that his house and property might be destroyed. He aiso regarded it as a threat against his personal safety. He communicated Mith the police, and on January 16 inserted the following advertisement in the “Evening Post”: “I have no option—what are your conditions? K.K.” ANXIETIES INCREASED. This advertisement was followed by a second anonymous letter, received on January 19. The letter increased his anxieties and was handed over to the police. Witness inserted a further advertisement on January 21 which stated: “What are your arrangements?—K.K.” On January 97 he received a third letter which asked him to have on hand £2OO in rotes. “Address the letter to Mr Smith. Wellington,” the letter stated. Carry this with you on Tuesday next. Further instructions will leach you then at your office.”

“At the first sign of your cooperation with the police the deal is off.” the letter added, “and the consequences arc* on your own head. You will be observed all day 'Tuesday, so play safe.” Nothing further eventuated till the morning of February 1, witness added, when a letter advised him to carry the money with him till he was approached by an agent of “Procapitalist.” At 7.30 p.m. the next day he was called to the telephone and a voice at the other end asked: “When am \ going to get that £200?” No further development occurred until February 6, when a letter stated: ‘I require the £2OO and I require it Monday night. I am willing to go to any lengths to get it.” The letter added: “You will appreciate the seriousness of the terrible fire last week, and unless you wish to suffer a similar experience you know what* to do.” NOTE IN TELEPHONE BOX. The second telephone call from the unknown person came on the

nigbt of February 6, when witness was advised to go to a telephone box half-way down Onepu Road, Lyall Bay. He went to the box and found a note which advised him to park his car further down the street, walk away and leave the letter containing the money on the front seat of the car.

Detective L. A. Smith said he was Kenner’s home on the night of February 6 and listened in to the telephone conversation. In company with Detective P. H. Alty, witness secreted himself in the back of Ken--1 er’s ear. Kenner obeyed the instructions contained in the note found in th** telephone box, and when lie had left the car the detectives heard footsteps approaching. Witness had a YTefinite feeling that someone was looking into the car. After a second or so the steps began to recede and finally broke into a run. “1 jumped out of the car and we were in time to see accused running down through Apu Crescent,” said witness. “We both gave chase. Accused disappeared into the front garden of a residence. Detective Alty remained in front of the residence and *7 retraced my steps to the rear fence. I looked over the fence and saw accused crouched down behind it. i immediately continued the chase but accused ran 1 mind the side of ‘ the house and jumped ov r a low wall in the

front, whore lie wns caught by Detective Alty.’’ At the Central Police Station accused said he wanted to be quite frank and stated that he alone had been responsible for the typing and posting of the letters to Kenner. He told the police where to find the typewriter, and Detective Smith started to type a statement which accused volunteered, but later discontinued on the advice of accused’s solicitor Maxwell was admitted to bail of £2OO with two sureties of £IOO each.