RACECOURSE THEFT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13807, 19 January 1909, Page 2

RACECOURSE THEFT.

THE PLEASANT POINT CASE. At the Magistrate's Court, yesterday before J. Hole :>nd W. Satterthwaite, -J.P.'s, a. sequel to the ] .Pleasant i'omt races oi 'iuursday last was heard, when Joseph Koburu was charged on remand, with the theft of a brief bag containing £4O in cash and £l7 18s 7d in cheques from the licensed booth at the races, the property oi Francis Nelligan. Accused was not represented by counselj and he admitted , ills guilt. . ' Sub-Inspector Green said that the offence was an indictable one, and though the accused admitted his guilt,. a certain amount of evidence would have to be taken. The facts were very simple. Oil Thursday last a race meeting was held 'at Pleasant Point when Mr F. Nelligan had charge of o.irf licensed booth. His wife was servint in the booth, and between three and four o'clock, she missed tire brief bag in which she kept the cash. This.contained between £6O and £7O. Detective Fitzgerald was informed, and after some difficulty lie arrested and searched the accused, who was a frequenter of racecourses, ana the missing money was found on him.

Mrs Nelligan gave evidence in support of this statement, except tliat snt said the bag contained between £i<: and £80 —not between £6O and £7O. She said that she had noticed the accused hanging about the . booth, ami without getting permission to do so, he hung his coat and umbrella up behind the 'bar. The brief bag. containing the money, could riot have been secured by the accused, except with the aid of -his umbrella.

Accused asked some quesions with the object of showing that the tent was oreii and that when he took the bag,. dozens of people could have seen him. '

Witness said that several people had seen the accused with the bag, but ,they thought it belonged to him. Detective. Fitzgerald said that on the day in orestion he Was at the Point races, and shortly after 4 p;in;, Constable. Collins- reported the theft to him, and together they enquired into it. Witness' saw accused in .the tent in front of the bar, and told him that a theft had been committed, a bag containing money having been stolen iron; the bar, .and that lie answered tiie di - sorintion of a man who was seen s>t'tN» back of the bar. Accused -said lie knew notliing about the theft, and .utile was not at' tlie ; back of the bar. Witness told accused that he would have to search liim. Accused demurred at first, but witness and Constable Collins searched liim and found 011 liiin £45 in notes, £4 in gold, £2 6s 4d in small jphange, a cheque for £5, another for £2, and one for £lO 18s 7d, ano. an 1.0. U. for : £3. Accused then admitted having taken the bag and that all the money found on him, except. £lO-14s 4d, was in the bag when betook it. Witness noticed that tin money claimed by accused as ; his own. was differently wrapped up in his p'<--ket, from the other and admittedly stolen money. Accused saici tnac Ithad committed the theft and woiid plead guilty. In reply to a question, witness said that accused was not sober at the time.

Accused was committed for senteniv at the next sitting of the Supreme Court; He asked for bail, and this was allowed, in two sureties of £SO, and accused in £IOO. Accused said that he would be able to get bail in Christchurch. ■ ■