SHOPLIFTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21508, 22 November 1939, Page 12

SHOPLIFTING

Woman Faces Many Charges I Articles Valued At £262 By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, November 21. Approximately 3400 articles, ranging Ironi a bootmaker's last to clothing and small pieces of jewellery, were displayofl in the police station gymnasium whicjl' had been specially constituted a court; when Annie Adala Albertha Le Conipt O’Hanlon, a domestic, aged 57, was 'Charged with thefts from city stores of articles valued at £262. On behalf of the accused Mr Aeklns entered alplea of guilty to a charge of theft of a parton of honey valued at lOd, but pleaded not guilty to the other charges. Irrprder that the goods mentioned in the Charges might be suitably displayed, implication had been made two weeki ago for the holding of the court In the police gymnasium. Two long benches and a table tennis table were laden with articles, which Included 216 pieces of crystal and glassware, 139 pieces of hardware and kitchenware, 447 articles of clothing, 263 toilet requisites, 293 articles of stationery and grocflfies, and 376 pieces of jewellery.

Ttyf accused was charged on 20 informations of theft, said DetectiveSergeant Walsh,' who prosecuted. The total' value of the alleged stolen goods was at £262, a conservative estimate of the actual value. In 14 of the charges the articles were identified by employees of different city stores as being the exclusive stock of their respective firms. The value of the property described in the 14 charges was £42.,;. Trere were six further charges embracing the alleged theft of 2641 articles described as the property of persons unknown. The value of that was estimated at £220.

Steals Carton of Honey

The accused, said Mr Walsh, was arrested on November 4, when she was detected in the act of stealing a carton of honey valued at lOd from the counter of a city store. The arrest led to a search of the accused's room, where thia! vast mass of property was found. When interviewed by the police, the accUsed explained that practically all the property seized was brought by her from Christchurch some three and a halt years ago, and that it had been purchased at various auction sales by her late husband. Evidence would be called to show that the articles before the court were of recent manufacture, mahy of them having been on the market for a short period only and at tha most two years. Inspection showed that the goods were obviously in new condition.

“I wish to stress in the present case," Mr Walsh concluded, “that no person In the accused’s position in life would be in the possession of such a wide assortment of goods as displayed before your Worship to-day. The 3400 articles exhibited in this case are typical of a shoplifter’s collection and all the circumstances point to the conclusion that the property has been stolen.”

After witnesses had been cross-ex-amined by Mr Aekins, the case was ad journed.