SCHOOLMASTER ROBBED.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1924, Page 8

SCHOOLMASTER ROBBED.

PUPIL TEACHER’S CRIME, CONSTABLE’S SMART DETECTION. SOCK FULL OF BOOTY. CASE AT MANAIA. (From Our Own Reporter.) Manaia, Dec. 22. Breaking into the residence of James Nairn, headmaster of the Manaia Main School, at midnight on Friday, an 18-year-old pupil teacher of the school named Garnet John Clark stole £42 10s lid while Nairn and his wife were sleeping. Clark was found guilty of the theft by Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M., at the Manaia Court to-day, and was convicted and admitted to probation for three years.

The detection of the crime was the result of smart work by Constable J. Scannell, of Manaia, who was complimented on his work by the magistrate. Clark was about to leave the school for the teachers’ training college, and intended to have, a merry Christmas at the expense of Nairn. The charge upon which Clark was remanded from Saturday was one of breaking and entering and the theft of the sum mentioned, but the police applied for the withdrawal of this charge and the substitution of one of theft.

After hearing Sergeant Henry and Mr. L. A. Taylor (for the accused) the magistrate said if the charge was reduced the accused would be getting the benefit of a position which he did not deserve. In view of the facts, however, that he came from a good home and previously bore a good character, the charge would be reduced so that the magistrate could deal with it at once. Clark was then charged with theft, and Mr. L. A. Taylor pleaded guilty and elected to be dealt with summarily.

The story of the crime was told by Sergeant Henry and Constable Scannell. The accused was an assistant teacher at the Manaia School, and was 18 years and 5 months old. On Friday the headmaster of the school, James Nairn, had £42 10s lid in his pocket, as he intended to go for a holiday. On retiring to bed Nairn hung his trousers on the bedpost. During the night Mrs. Nairn thought she heard someone in the house, but she was unable to awaken her husband, and as she was too frightened to get up, she said nothing more till the morning. IMPRINTS FOUND. When he felt in his pockets next morning Nairn found that the money j was gone, and the matter was immedi- j ately reported to Constable Scannell. On i investigation the constable found the ! imprints of tennis shoes on the garden i outside Nairn’s bedroom window. Hav- ! ing seen Clark wearing tennis shoes on ■ the night before, the constable formed . a conclusion and immediately went round to Clarke’s lodgings, where Clark denied any knowledge of the crime. Constable Scannell insisted on Clark turning out his trunk, which was ready packed for travelling. and there he ! found the tennis shoes damp and covered : with soil corresponding with that under Nairn’s window. Clark still protested his innocence, but the constable turned up the pillows on the boy’s bed, and there found Nairn’s empty wallet. The money was found in a sock under the pillow of another bed in the same room. Then Clark admitted the whole offence.

It was fortunate that Constable Scannell exercised the discretion he did, said Sergeant Henry, or the money, may never have been found and the crime brought home. Clark was drawing £llB a year in wages, and had been teaching at' Manaia for about two years. He was fond of billiards and apparently most of his earnings went in that direction.

Mr. Taylor made an eloquent appeal for the leniency of probation, on the grounds of the accused’s extreme youth and the good character he had previously borne. George Clark, a tailor or Manaia, and Alfred G. Clark, father of the accused, were called to give evidence of the boy’s character.

Before passing sentence, Mr. Mowlem said he wished to compliment Constable Scannell for the expedition and cleverness with which he had sheeted home the crime to the accused. It was plain I that but for the constable’s methods Nairn would have been without his money, which may have been spent in all manner of ways. THREE’ YEARS PROBATION. Punishment, said the magistrate, was not merely designed to punish the offender. but was inflicted so that other people who might have a tendency towards crime might be prevented from doing as Clark had done. The public had to .be protected to the extent of being shown that if a man did a certain thing he would get so much punishment. This young man’s crime was not confined to himself; he was bringing innocent people, his father, sick mother, and family into trouble. With the constitution of human society it could not be but that the innocent suffer for the guilty. If only a man would stop to think what his mother would say it would, in many instances, prevent the commission of crime. The accused had already benefited by the reduction of the charge, continued the magistrate. It was extremely doubtful whether it was a case that- would compel the court to withdraw the more serious charge. The accused might just as easily, and perhaps more rightly, < have been sent to the Supreme Court. : It really appeared that the only pun- : islnnent justifiable was reformative de- ! tention. The fact that Clark was only 18 years of age must be taken into consideration, and also the fact that there was no previous conviction against • the accused. The point was whether the court would be doing justice, not to the accused, but to the public, by granting probation for any term. To the accused: There is a leaking somewhere. Do you spend your money on races? Clark: No. Mr. Mowlem: Billiards? Clark: Yes, Mr. Mowlem: I am ashamed that a young New Zealander on the eve of better 'things should do such a thing. You are admitted to probation for three years, one special term being that In that time you are not In any circumstances to enter a billiard room.