CHINESE ROBBED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18878, 2 December 1935, Page 6

CHINESE ROBBED

TWO MAORIS SENTENCED STX CHARGES ADMITTED Six charges were admitted by two young Maoris who appeared before Mr. E. L. Walton, S.M., in the Police Court to-day, while one of them was charged with 'receiving goods stolen by the other. Four of the six. thefts admitted were from Chinese. One of the accused was sentenced to three years in a Borstal institute and the other to'two years' probation.

Richard Parata, 20, and Eiki Moanauui, IS, were jointly charged with stealing) a coat, boots and SCO kumara plants, to" the total value of £1 2s, the property of Louie Wong. Parata alone admitted stealing the following:—Two blankets valued at 10s, the property of Florence Mciraes ; 4s in money, the property ol Tom Foo; one overcoat valued at £2 ss, the property df Louie Wong; a man's bicycle valued at £3, the property of Ah' Lee; a lady's bicycle valued at £4, the property of some person unknown. Riki Moananui was also charged with receiving a man's bicycle valued at £3, the property of Ah Lee. knowing that the bicycle had been dishonestly obtained.

Detective McWhirter stated that the (hefts occurred over a period of 12 days last month. Parata stayed at Mrs. Menzies' house, and when leaving took the blankets. He stole from Chinese when working for them, and with Moananui he returned to the gardens one nigilit and took the kumara plants, which we're sold for 6s, and also other goods. One bicycle was sold for £1 5s by Moananui, and the other bicycle was sold for £1 10s. Both the accused gave every assistance to clear tho matter up. Parata had been before the court previously, and was only recently discharged. Moananui had never been in trouble before.

His Worship said that Parata had been in gaol, had been ordered to come up for sentence and also had been under the child welfare officer; none of these penalties apparently had done any good. The probation officer, Mr. Richardson, said he had nothing to say in Parata's favor. He suggested probation for Moananui.

Parata was sentenced to three years in a Borstal institute, and Moananui was admitted to probation for two years. Restitution of tho stolen property was ordered.