BERKELEY HOTEL ROBBERY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10870, 10 September 1913, Page 1

BERKELEY HOTEL ROBBERY.

THE CAREER OF A BURGLAR

The trial at the Old Bailey of tho four men concerned in the robbery at the Berkley Hotel took placo on July 24 and all four Avoro imprisoned. The accused were Arthur James, twenty-six, ni<dit porter; James. Sharman, thirtylive, stoker; William Fell, thirty-eight, painter; and Stephen Sharman. Fell and Stephen Sharman pleaded guilty to wounding Henry George Gowers, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. Arthur James pleaded guilty to burglary. James # Sharman pleaded not guilty to an indictment for breaking and entering the Berkeley Hotel and stealing a pearl necklace and other articles. Opening tho case for the prosecution Mr Gill. K. 0., eaid that Arthur James was employed as a night porter at tho Berkeley Hotel, and James Sharman as a stoker. James had said t»omo time before .the burglary that James Sharman introduced him to his brother Stephen, who suggested tho scheme. As a. preliminary James got an impression of tho'koy of the sale, and early in the morning Stephen Sharman and Fell were admitted to. tho hotel by means of the luggage lift. They opened the safe .and romoved the jewels and other things, and cruelly assaulted Gowers, who was on duty as a night porter. The farce was also gone through of binding and gagging James, and making-some -scratches on his neck. Gowers was gagged with a carefully prepared gag. Ho had succeeded in ridding himself of this; .the police were attracted by his groans; and he was found in such a lamentable condition ass to necessitate bis removal to hospital. ' It was at onco appreciated by the police, who had acted with considerable skill in this'case, counsel said,, that this could not have been done' without' assistance from inside th© hotel. James was taken into custody, and ho t had made a full confession. James Sharman wag then ■arrested, and ho made to Detective-Sergeant Davis a long statement to the effect that ho was led into the matter by his brother. He added:—"l'wish I had given the alarm before they started knocking old Gowers about. . . lam ain ass, that's all, and me with a wife and four' kids." '•".'. While the evidence was.being.given a juror becamo unwell, and-during the interval of waiting the prisoner, intimated his desire to alter his plea to ono of guilty. A formal verdict of ■ guilty was therefore returned, and all four prisoners were then placed in the dock. Fell and Stephen Sharman both admitted previous convictions.

Dr Ewart dcseribed.the condition of Gowers. on'his admission to St George's Hospital. He was then in a dangerous condition, and, possibly,;would never quite recover. . ■■.'■, - Chief-Inspector'Fowler, sstid Arthur James and- James Sharman had previously bbfpe good characters. Stephen. ■■Medien'KOor^ of iJihfteehy:and-'went to,'Sbuth'.'Atfrica:'. Hefwa# discharged in 1903, and'then •joined'-the Royal Field from which he deserted. Then he commenced a criminal career., ,In 1004.-he was sentenced to three (months', imprisonment, for housebreaking. He returned to South Africa, and' was twice imprisoned there, and then he came back to England, and was -twice, convicted. Fell had a very bad record, 1 and ho appeared to have been engaged, in crime since ho was fifteen or ; sixteen years of age. . His convictions' /were :■=—lß9o, nine months for churchbreaking; 1891, one month for felony; 1892, eighteen months for assault to rob; 1895, eighteen mouths for housebreaking; 1896, three years' penal servitude for theft; .1904, eighteen months' hard labour for possessing housebreaking instruments; 1906,' seven years'"penal servitude for receiving stolen property. Detective-Sergeant -Weston, said ho had known Fell for twelve or thirteen years. He had been associated with a "gang carrying out burglaries in . the suburbs of London, and was found with .them in-the.possession of. housebreaking implements. One of the men possessed an automatic pistol loaded with ammonia. t Fell Would leave home in the morning dressed as a painter. The police following him, 'would see 'him take a, cab, and-when next they saw -him-ho."would be Avearing a frock coat, or perhaps an opera hat. Sometimes the police would follow him on a train, and on seeing them he Would get out, run across the line, and get into a train going . in. the opposite direction. ' When they saw • him again he would bo wearing a check cap, " like a gentleman going home in the early morning." Mr Justice Ridley complimented tho police on their conduct in the case. They had acted, he said, with great prudence and skill. Ho passed the following sentences: — Stephen Sharman, fourteen years' penal serviture; Fell, fourteen years' penal servitude; James Sharman, ten years' .penal serviture; James, seven years' penal serviture. Tho prisoners left the dock laughing.