THEFT OF OVERCOATS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14047, 18 July 1916, Page 8

THEFT OF OVERCOATS.

Afc the Police Court yesterday, before Mr.. R. S.. Florance, S.M., Joseph Albert le Verne, alias Lee, was charged with the theft, on July 14, ot an overcoat'arid muffler (total value £4), the property of Arthur Martin. Accused pleaded not guilty. •V 'Arthur " Leonard" Martin, ' grocer's assistant, said on Friday night last h'. went to a' dance ari the Scottish Hall, and hung his coat and muffler up. They were there at 11, but were gone at , the end pf jthe ( dance. The coat and mufflet produced were his. He gave accused ric J authority to take them. '{ Edward Austin, taxi proprietor, said that, at 1 a.m. on the 15th accused en•gaged witpess to drive him to Ly-tton Rbad.' When they arrived accused said "My coat is m the back seat; I'll getjj, 'inS'the morning." Iri the morning there were two coats there. He banded the coats to the detective. Witness had nc coats m the car when he picked «p the accused, and after that trip he (witness) went home. — To accused: Witness did not remember accused asking him to wait while he got his own coat. Accused did not tell witness to look after the coat as he had made a mistake., Edward Scarfe, storeman, stated that he was M.C. at th© dance. Witness was at the door when accused came there, without. an overcoat, about 9.30. He had not seen him earlier m the evening* Detective McLeod deposed that on the 15th, at 10 a.m., ho interviewed accused with regard to the theft of a coat, and asked him what he had done' with it, Accused said : "I did take a coat away but I thought it was mine. After I had got away I found out my mistake. I gave it to Ted Austin, and asked him to look after it, having taken it m. mistake." He arrested accused, and charge,* hiih with this offence. The coat and muffler produced were obtained from the taxi-driver. Accused said that on th c night the coat was taken he was under the influence ot liquor. He went .to the dance at 9.30. About 10.15 ho went to his room'at the Turariganiii Hotel, arid got. a bottle of beer and his overcoat. Leaving the hotel he could not find his coat, «uid took his friend's (Mr. Wilson) coat He was sure it was his friend's coat. Someone proposed that he should get his 'own coat, or he would lose it. He went back and took a coat he thought was his., In the car he found it was not his. He asked Austin to look after it, so that he could find the owner — To Detective McLeod : No one saw him at the Turanganui. His memory was not clear regarding hia having a sleep m one of the side rooms. The first coat he took was Wilsons. He took both coats when he got the second one. He had previously been convicted of breaking and entering, and was put on probation. For breach of probation he had received 12 months' imprisonment.' r His Worship, said there was no doubt it was a case pf theft. Accused was convicted and sentenced to two months' imprisonment m the Gisborne prison with hard labor. Accused was also charged with stealing an overcoat, value 30s, the Property of. J f W. Wilson. ' He pleaded not guilty. Joseph Wm. Wilson, cook at the Turanganui hotel, said he,, worked with accused. He attended the dance about 9.30 or 10 o'clock. He left hi SN overcoat 111 the dressing room. At 2.30 m the morning he went into the dressing £oom and his coat was gone. Accused had no. authority to take the coat. Witness did not know if accused was sober or not. Accused had not asked for the coit, and did not mention it next morning. He saw accused at 6 m the morning. He. was then sober. Edward Austin said that "he did not .notice whether accused had a coat on when he got m the car, but he did not have : one on when he got out. In the morning there • were two coats m the car, which he handed to the detective. Edward gcarfe «aid accused came to the hall about 9.30 without a coat. He had been drinking, but he danced like a sober man. 'Detective' MacLeod gave similar evidence^ to that m the previous case. His Worship said he had no doubt as to the theft. Accused was not sufficiently ..drunk not to know what he was doing. THe would bo comvicted and sentenced to one month's iriiprisonmeht •ijnth hard labor m Gisborne prison, th 6. sentences to be cumulative. An order was made : for the overcoats and muffler to be returned to their owners.