The Kiri Kiri Robbery.

Thames Star, Volume XX, Issue 6135, 4 December 1888, Page 2

The Kiri Kiri Robbery.

ACCUSED BEFORE THE COUET. -

THE CHARGES WTTHDR \WS:

At the Police Court this morning, before A. Brodie and R. T. Douglas, Esqs., JsP., Thomas Dansy was brought up on remand charged with having on or about the. 6th of October last stolen from the dwelling house of Cornelius McPike, at Kiri Kiri, two white blanket!, one flannel shirt, and one white bandied table knife, of a total value of 155., Defendant pleaded not guilty. Sergt. Murphy explained tbat _the articles had been stolen at Kiri Kiri in October last, and defendant was working near the informant at tbe time. He had sold his swag, and shortly afterwards had been seen going in the direction of Paeroa with a swug. A search warrant wai taken out, and although some blanket! bad been found in it, McPike was unable to identify them. Under these circumstances be asked permission to withdraw tbe charges, which was granted.

Thomas Dansy and James Koycroft were then charged " that they did on or about tbe 23rd of October last, steal, take, and carry away from the dwelling-house of Kapibana te Tuhi, of Kinkiri, one tin box, containing seven £1 notes, £5 in silver coin, two greenstone meres, one ereenatono pendant, two gold rings, three purses, two screwdrivers, one ledger, one percussion cap case, a number of letters, a double-barrelled son in ease, one guncase containing 14 boxes of percussion caps, one travelling bag containing a shawl, a shirt, one pair of moleskin trousers, and a tweed coat, all belonging to Kapibana, the informant, and of a total value of £38."

Mr Miller appeared for Roycroft, and pleaded not guilty, while Dansy also denied the charge. .

Sergt. Murphy said that he was io a similar position in this cage as in the former one. The circumstances were that on the 23rd of October the house of Kapi* bana, a native residing at Kiri Kiri, had been broken into, and next morning the whole of the missing articles had been found on the tramway at Kiri Kiri by the natives, except the two meres and money. The property was handed over to Kapihana. No trace of the meres had been found until a fortnight ago, when the police ascertained that Dansy had been offering a greenstone mere for sale, which he did not even now deny. When arrested at Paeroa by the Constable he said that he had got the meres from Roycroft, who was his mate. It could also be proved by the police that Roycroft had offered a greenstone mere for sale, and bad taken a man to Mr Manning's paddock, when, after being absent far a while, he returned from his search and said, "It isn't there. The other man must have taken it," presumably meaning Dansy, The police, however, had been unable to recover the meres, and consequently he must under these circumstances ask permission to withdraw the case. If the defendants were innocent they bad themselves to thank for the position they were now in, but he might say that he did not think they were innocent.

Mr Miller said he regretted to hear the remark thet had been made by Sergt. Murphy. A man was innocent until he -had been proved guilty, and in the present case there not even a suspicion against Jioycroft, go that Sergt. Murphy was not justified in sayiog that he did not think the accused were innocent, especially as he. had asked leave to with* draw the charge. Why shonld not Roycroft have a mere as well as Eapihana P Was it reasonable or just to charge him with stealing Kapihana's simply because he had offered a mere for sale F There was nothing to connect Roycroft'g mere as being the same as that which had been stolen from Kapihana, and Sergt. Murphy ~ could produce no evidence whatever. Roycroft had simply said that he had a mere and offered to go and fetch it, and in doing so he had acted fairly and above board. He submitted that there was no suspicion against Boycroft, and the Sergeant should have merely said that he had no evidence to offer. Roycroft had told him (Mr Miller) that he knew nothing about the meres, and it was a case in which the stolen article had not been found and the police had taken the word of a man who bad been previously arrested and charged with stealing it. There might be same excuse for arresting Dansy, as ifc had been on another charge, but there was not even suspicion against Roycroft. It was a case in which he trusted the Bench would express an opinion, since Seret, Murphy had made such a remark. Ha was informed by Hoycroft that there was some feeling between the police and himself, and that he believed- the police were 41 hunting " him. If that was a fact, the police should have exercised a little discretion and issued a summons, instead of arresting persons in the way they had done and having them locked up, as a summons would quite have met the case, The Bench complied with Sergt. Murphy's request, and allowed the case to be withdrawn. They remarked that while it was the duty of "the Bench to support the police in carrying out the law, the latter should be exceedingly careful not to cause unnecessary pain.