TRUST ABUSED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19673, 15 December 1933, Page 10

TRUST ABUSED

THEFT ADMITTED ORDERED REFORMATIVE TREATMENT J In the Timaru Magistrate's Court : yesterday, before Mr. C. R. Orr- , Walker, S M., Charles George Gibbs | appeared on remand charged that on j divers datea between December 1932 | and December 1933 at Timaru. he did ; steal a quantity of ammunition, the | property of the New Zealand Govemj ment. He was further charged that j on July 20. 1933. at Timaru. he stole an electric light head, valued at 15 - j the property of Francis Richard Fox. | He was further charged that on or j about September 20. 1931, he did steal i a vvce. valued at £2 15 0. the property i of some person or persons unknown. | A plea of guilty was entered by acI cused to all the charges, and he elected j to be dealt with summarily. I Senior-Sergeant I. Mathieson made I application to have the first charge | amended to read TOO rounds of ammu- ! nition. valued at £6 18 10. He also j said that the theft of the vyce had taken place over two years ago. and as the offence thus became an indictable one. he would ask leave to withdraw it. The Court agreed to amend the first charge, and to withdraw the theft charge. A request to amend the value of an electric light head to 32 6 was refused. Facts Outlined. Senior-Sergeant Mathieson said that in consequence of information received. Constable Hogg had searched the accused's house, and had found a quantity of ammunition. Accused had been employed by the Defence Department in Timaru under the unemployment scheme. He had been a platoon sergeant, and in that capacity, had had access to the ammunition. Aci cused had admitted having taken ammunition home. The bicycle in question had been left outside a hotel on July 20. 1933. and when the owner went to secure his machine, he had found the light head missing. The Senior-Sergeant said that the stealing of bicycle generators was becoming almost a daily offence. Accused had not been before the Court for theft since 1916. but he had been up on other charges. Mr. E. C. J. Foot, who appeared on behalf of the Probation Officer, said that the accused had been a relief worker for a considerable time, and the speaker believed he had been doing splendid work. Accused was a married man with three children, and the Labour Department had not had any trouble with him. Mr. Foot said that on account of accused's record, he would hesitate to make any recommendation.

Previous Offences. The Magistrate said that he could not, overlook the fact that the accused had been placed in a position of trust, and he had abused that trust. Apparently he had been placed on probation on a previous occasion for breaking, entering and theft, but that was some time ago. He had also been convicted in recent years for being in possession of unregistered firearms, and this must have been serious, for he was sentenced to three month's imprisonment. The present case was a serious one. and the Court could not view it lightly. On both charges accused would be ordered to be retained for reformative treatment for a period of twelve months, sentences to be concurrent.