THEFT OF WALLET

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18955, 4 March 1936, Page 2

THEFT OF WALLET

FALSE STORY TOLD UNUSUAL PROSECUTION When ai-yoiibg man. Hugh Foster Woodman, appeared before the Feildmg court charged with making a statement to the polk.- alleging.the theft of a wallet. arid money, well knowing it to be untrue, Sei-'eant Anglan said this was only the second occasion on which such information had been laid in, New Zealand. The police stated that accused had slaved with bis brother' and a man named Marsh at a hotel in Feildmg, and when the latter two returned to lunch accused informed them that his wallet bad been stolen. Marsh then went to his own room and discovered that his wallet was missing as well. Roth had arrived at the police station to report the matter, and a search revealed the stolen money in accused's shoe. It appeared that after he had stolen Marsh's wallet he had gone to the Oroua River and thrown both his own wallet and Marsh's into the river in a futile effort to substantiate his story. Accused was fined £5 and costs and on a charge of theft was admitted to probation for 12 months.. The magistrate said accused had narrowly escaped a term in gaol ____________