BURGLARY CHARGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18498, 20 February 1930, Page 5

BURGLARY CHARGES.

FOUR YOUTHS PLEAD GUILTY. By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON. February 19. One night recently the premises of George and George. Newton, were entered by a hole cut in the floor with a brace and-bit and a hack saw. Goods valued at £63 13s were taken. To-day Henry Coronno (19), Cedric Maitland Gay (19), Ernest Charles Smith (18), Patrick James Michael Heffron (18), and Albert John Higgs (18), were charged with burglary. After evidence had been given by the police all pleaded guilty, except Heffron, who according to the story of Higgs, who appeared to be the leading spirit, was present, and held a torch while the hole was made, but did not actually enter the building, saying it was too risky. “Higgs went in with the three others,” he said, “and I followed later, all taking away bundles.” Smith and Gay were further jointly charged with breaking and entering the shop of John Castle and stealing goods valued at £9/2/-; and with breaking and entering the warehouse of Murray and Forbes and stealing goods valued at 15s. Gay was separately charged with breaking and entering the premises of Wrigley and Kemp and stealing a ruler and fountain pen valued at 15/-. In the Newtown burglary cases, the four who pleaded guilty were committed for sentence, and Heffron for trial.

RAILWAY STATION CRIME. By Telegraph—Press Association. NAPIER, February 19. Josepht Coyle and Edward George Stanley Elliott were jointly charged in the Supreme Court to-day with breaking and entering the Hastings railway station, with intent to commit a crime. A further indictment of being in unlawful possession of an explosive was preferred against Coyle. The Crown case consisted of circumstantial evidence, which sought to connect the two accused with the crime. Evidence was given by various witnesses to show that the safe at the station had been blown open by gelignite, but the contents were undisturbed. Constable McCall gave evidence of having heard the explosion 22 chains away, and of having found on investigation that a door had been forced open, a second door tried, and a window smashed. He had found accused Elliott attempting to escape by walking quickly along the platform close (to a wall and in the shadow. Subsequent searching had revealed a screw-driver, some small fragments of glass, and a three-cell torch in accused's pocket. Evidence that a piece of chisel, later identified as broken from such a tool possessed by Coyle, had been lodged in the second door was also given, with other connections between the sizes of tools owned by accused and the marks on the doors, and identification of a swab left at the scene of the crime as having belonged to both .Elliott and Coyle. Each made a contradictory statement to the other. Detective-Sergeant Fitzgibbon said Coyle had evidently expected, before escaping, that his companion would be caught. Gelignite had later been found at the place where Coyle had been staying, and leather gloves and 14-feet of fuse in his lorry. The case will be resumed to-morrow.