IN TROUBLE AGAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 205, 31 August 1943, Page 3

IN TROUBLE AGAIN

TWO YOUNG SOLDIERS OUT ON BORSTAL LICENCE ESCAPADES AT WEEK-END Released on licence from a Borstal institution early this month after be-, ing sentenced a year ago for car conversion and theft, two young soldiers, Ronald George Worthington, aged 20, and Arthur Hartley, aged 19, were in trouble again after only three and ahalf weeks in the Army, and were sentenced by Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Wanganui, yesterday, to six months’ imprisonment. They pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful car conversion and three of theft. Sergeant F. J. Bonnington told the Court that last Saturday the accused, while at Linton military camp, converted' an Army car valued at £2OO and drove to Wanganui, where they attended a dance. Later in the night they converted a car, also valued at £2OO, and the property of Henry Bernard Cave, from the rear of the Majestic Theatre. They drove both cars to the country, where they stole a length of rubber hose, valued at 7s, from a cow shed and siphoned five gallons of petrol from Cave’s car. This fuel was transferred to the Army car, after which they returned to the dance. After the dance they spent the night on Durie Hill, and at 7.30 o'clock on Sunday morning drove to a military establishment in Wanganui and siphoned three gallons of petrol from an Army truck. They were on their way back to Linton when arrested. Sergeant Bonnington added that the accused had previous convictions for car conversion and apparently had little respect for the property of other people. In August, 1942, they were sentenced to Borstal for two years, but after 12 months were released on licence and handed over to the military authorities, but their record *in camp was not good. “The Army did not give us a fair go,” said Hartley, asked if he had anything to say. “We were promised three weeks’ grace, but the Army would not give us any. We made up our minds the other day that we would take a car and return it a couple of days later. We were on our way to take it back when we were picked up.” “You probably know that public opinion is very strong against car conversion—there is far too much of it.” said the magistrate, sentencing the accused. “You have been in trouble before for this kind of thing and I cannot, make any distinction because you are young soldiers.” Each of the accused was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, cumulative, on each of the two charges of car conversion, and convicted and discharged on the other counts. “That, means 'that you will each ■serve six months,” the magistrate commented.