LOVED GRAND LIFE

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19125, 9 December 1933, Page 12 (Supplement)

LOVED GRAND LIFE

“ You appear to have a mania for the grand and splendid life; a mania for motor-cars; a mania for sporting equipment; and even for a novelist’s name."

These observations were addressed by the Recorder of Southend, Sir lan Macpherson, K.C., to Geoffrey William Inns, son of a highly-respected business man of Doncaster, who had spent his seventeenth birthday while in prison awaiting trial, says a London paper. Inns pleaded guilty to stealing a five-chambered revolver and a dresssuit, and to obtaining credit by fraud at a Southend hotel.

F>r the prosecution, Mr F. Phillips explained that the youth had committed a series of offences within a very short period. He had stolen motor-care, one of which contained a gun; and £9 at an hotel where he stayed, while he paid the hotel bill with a cheque from a stolen cheque-book. Detective-Inspector Harris informed the Recorder that Inns was 1 a native of Clay Cross, Derbyshire. The only oonvlction against him previously was in Huntingdonshire for taking away a motor-oar without the owner’s con 7 sent. Two other similar offences . were admitted by him on that occasion. Inns won a scholarship, and attended Doncanster Technical College until he was 16. He left him home on August 18 when a police officer made inquiries with reference to a motoring offence.

Fourteen Other Offences. Inns wished 14 other charges to

Youth Blound Over After Spending Seventeenth Birthday in Gaol.

be taken into consideration, these including the theft of six motor-cars, the first from the golf club at Filey, and the others at Bridlington, Thorne, Westminster Bridge, London, South.sea, and Manchester. On behalf of Inns Mr George Pollook, defending, explained that he went to a gunsmith at Southend to sell the stolen gun. When the proprietor was out of the shop Inns took the revolver.

Counsel suggested that he had the revolver ,as " a traditional part of the equipment of the type of desperado which figures In a certain kind of literature and films.” He also adopted flashy names and stole the dress suit because it fitted In with his charaoter. Appealing to the Recorder not to regard Inns as 'a criminal, counsel added: " Ha probably has some of the qualities of oourage and determination whloh, directed in the right channel, will make him an extremely useful citizen."

The boy’s father had consented to allow him to drive his motor-car In future.

“As far as one knows," his lordship remarked to Inns, " up till April you were a well-behaved boy and -one Is almost flabbergasted- at the period of concentrated crime that has taken place since the beginning of August.” The Recorder was inclined to think that If Inns had a ohance he would take, it. He had decided to be lenient because he believed the boy was at a dangerous age. Inns would be bound over for two years.