MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Southland Times, Issue 23715, 13 January 1939, Page 4

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

THURSDAY (Before Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M.) James Peter Joseph Kelly, aged 22 years, was charged with the theft of a singlet and one pair of underpants valued at 10/-. Detective-Sergeant R. Thompson said that the accused appeared in the Magistrate’s Court at Gore on January 9 for the theft of a £1 note and was sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment. The theft’of the singlet and underpants from a fellow employee at Fairplace Station was discovered after the accused’s conviction.

“Don’t be a fool,” said the Magistrate. “You are a young man of 22 and you should behave yourself.”

The accused was convicted and discharged. An order was made for the return of the stolen property. John James Kelly, aged 19J years, appeared on a charge of escaping from the Borstal Institution at Invercargill on December 31,1938. The accused elected to be dealt with summarily and pleaded guilty. Superintendent R. W. Arnold said that Kelly escaped from the institution on December 31 in company with two other youths. These other escapees were eventually caught in Wellington, but Kelly was recaptured the same evening in Conon street.

“The boys show no gratitude for. the efforts that were made to make Christmas as happy as possible for them,” said Mr Arnold. “Escapes are becoming too frequent and I ask that they be treated as serious offences.”

Kelly was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment, cumulative with his present sentence.