THIEVES’ BUSY WEEK-END

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1077, 15 September 1930, Page 10

THIEVES’ BUSY WEEK-END

SEVEN PREMISES BROKEN INTO TOTAL LOOT VALUED AT £B2 THIEVES were unusually active during the week-end. Three shops and an office in the City were entered, while visits were also paid to a house near the Piirewa Cemetery and a shop in Morningside. This morning a thief entered a house in Portland Road, Remuera, during the temporary absence of the occupant. Only one of the premises entered shows signs of the visitor being an experienced cracksman and the thefts are apparently of the sneak-thief variety,. Little of value was stolen, the loot from all seven premises totalling in value only ,£B2 ss, of which £,77 is accounted for by thefts from two shops.

A roll of serge, valued at £3O, was stolen from tlie shop of Preston and Son, 10 His Majesty’s Arcade, this morning. A pane of glass was broken in the front door and the thief entered by crawling through into the shop while a companion held up the upper section of the broken pane which was found to have slipped down. A oarman in the Metropolitan Hotel, adjoining, heard the crash of the glass about 1.30 a.m., but took little notice as the sound was largely drowned by the uproar of the drills operated bv tramway workmen in Queen Street. No attempt was made on the office safe, and the thief showed poor judgment by choosing the cheapest quality serge in the shop, valuable suitings being left untouched. The office of Kenneth Eady, Ltd.'s, shop in the Academy Buildings, Upper Queen Street, was thoroughly ransacked on Saturday night. The thief made a determined effort to force the safe, which contained a fairly large sum of money, but abandoned liis efforts or was interrupted in his work just as the door was yielding to his attack. An attempt was made to force a door at the side of the building, hut the intruder finally went to the back and broke a pane in a window. He released he catch and let himself in. Inside the building, he visited music teachers’ rooms on the upper floor and made a spirited attack on the door of Eady’s shop. Nine jemmy marks on the door jambs showed that the door was not easily overcome. In addition to the safe, the thief paid attention to two drawers, which he forced. He left papers and books strewn over the floor and damaged a number of office fittings. A quantity of stamps aud os is all that is missing from the shop. This is the third time ihe shop has been entered and the doors and drawers carry many jemmy marks, both old and new. The work on the safe would make it appear that Eady’s visitor was an experienced hand. The break was discovered late on Saturday night by Mr. James O’Kane. a. music teacher with rooms in the building, who informed the police. SHOP DOOR FORCED On Friday night or Saturday morning the front, door of Mr. A. W. Dick's confectionery shop, next to the Morningside Hall, was forced. Tobacco, bread and confectionery, valued at about £5, was stolen. About 5.30 on Saturday afternoon, the janitor at Endean’s Buildings, Queen Street, heard a crash of glass and discovered later, while on his round, that glass in a back door, leading to the office of the Farmers' Freezing Company, Limited, had been broken. Some one had released the lock, and entered the office, but nothing was stolen or even disturbed. A towel, evidently used to remove finger prints, was found near the broken door.

The same premises were visited by the “cat” burglar, who was responsible for some sensational thefts from City buildings about a year ago.

When Mr. D. S. Levick returned from attending a picture show on Saturday evening, lie found a thief had ransacked liis house in Oxford Terrace, near the Purewa Cemetery. Entry had been gained through a bedroom window, but nothing of value was stolen. LOOT VALUED AT £47 A completed suit, four uncompleted suits and an overcoat, of a total value of about £l7, were removed from the premises of Mr. John McDonald, a tailor, of Warwick Chambers, Queen Street, between 5 p.m. and S p.m. on Saturday evening. Entry was gained by breaking a pane of glass in the door and inserting a hand to release the lock. rt being Saturday afternoon, the building was quiet and the chances of detection were slight. HURRIED EXIT At a house in Portland Road Remuera, another intruder had reason to make a hurried exist and did so before he had time to remove any valuables. At about 10 o’clock this morning tlie only occupant of the house at the time, a woman, was in the back garden, when she heard her small pet dog barking with unusual violence. She immediately proceeded to the house and along the passage to the front room, arriving there in time to see a strange man disappear through the window. The house had only recently been occupied, and many of the move valuable articles bad not been unpacked. Thus the intruder was confronted with a difficult task in the short space of time given him. He did. however, have one bag unlocked, but. he evidently slopped his search when he heard the footsteps in the passage. “MUST BE STAMPED OUT” HOUSE-BREAKING CRIME IS PREVALENT THREE YEARS’ GAOL “It, is well known that the crime of housebreaking is pret alent in the city and district and it will have to bo stamped out/’ commented Mr. Justice Herdman, in the Supreme Court today, in referring to three prisoners who were up for sentence for these crimes. The judge made this observation in sentencing David Baden Powell, 22, to one year’s hard labour, to be followed by two years’ reformative detention for breaking, entering and theft. and breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime. On behalf of the prisoner, counsel said that unfortunately, at the age of 17, Powell had been sentenced to two years’ reformative detention foi' an offence. The young man had been out of employment for a considerable time, and since November, when he received a sum under his father's will, prisoner had not done any work. The proceeds of his stupid crimes had not amounted to more than £5, and counsel expressed the hope that the punishment on this occasion would make the prisoner realise the error of liis ways.

His Honour said he recollected having seen Powell before him previously. The prisoner had been convicted of offences twice previously and was then treated with a certain amount of leniency, which, however, did not seem to have done any good. The crimes were not isolated, added the judge, who pointed out that the prisoner had been wandering about the city and district breaking and entering premises. “It seems to me that you are a confirmed housebreaker,” concluded the judge.