A MEAN THEFT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1923, Page 5

A MEAN THEFT.

GIRL’S RING STOLEN. YOUNG MAN CONVICTED. The story of a mean theft was related in the Magistrate’s Court at New Plymouth yesterday afternoon, when Alfred Milner Basil Wilson, a young man, was ordered to come up for sentence when called upon for having stolen a gold ring valued at £6. He pleaded guilty. Wilson had accompanied two lady friends from Auckland to Hawera, the ring forming a topic of conversation. At Marton, the owner of the ring lent it to her friend, for whose finger, however, it was too large. She dropped while they were, out of the train for a moment. Wilson made a pretence of searching for the ring, but slipped it into his pocket. The mental distress of the lady was acute, but no offer to restore the ring was made. The loss was reported to the police, who interviewed Wilson. He denied all knowledge of the ring and made a written statement to that effect. Subsequently Wilson returned the ring to the woman who had lost it. He suggested that the case might be withdrawn from the police and that she could account for the recovery of the ring by saying that she had discovered it when pressing her Coat. Instead, a report was made to the Auckland police, who obtained a warrant for Wilson’s arrest. This was executed at New Plymouth yesterday by detective-sergeant Cooney/Wilson being brought before Messers. H. R. Cattley and Jas. McLeod, J.P.’s.