THE LOVE OF DRESS

Southland Times, Issue 19238, 8 May 1924, Page 5

THE LOVE OF DRESS

SHOPLIFTING CHARGES. (Per United Press Association). WANGANUI, May 6. It is not often that females occupy the dock in the local Police Court, but to-day two married women and one single girl were arraigned on charges of theft. In all cases love for dress had prompted the thefts.

In the first case, two married women with young families had attended a drapery sale and commandeered a number of articles of dress valued at about £l9. When squeezing one lot into a kit bag the attention of a shop employee was directed towards the two women, Mrs Lilian Ford and Mrs L. M. Wilson, and the suspicions created subsequently ended in their arrest and appearance before the Court. The Magistrate to-day said that the case was an extremely painful and difficult one. The Probation Officer had recommended that the two accused should be admitted to probation. To this he agreed, and he sentenced them to a period of 18 months on probation. Mr Barton refused an application that the names of the accused should be suppressed. They had not acted on impulse. The thefts covered a woollen costume, an evening dress, a roll of lace, an evening frock, and sundry other articles. Shoplifting was a difficult crime to detect. For that reason he refused the request to suppress the publication of the names.

In the case of the young woman, it appeared that she had succumbed to the temptation of a frock valued at £4 4s, the property of her employers. It was stated that the accused had been out of work and had suffered from heart trouble. A probationary period of 12 months was decided upon, and also the suppression of the name of the accused.