Men For Trial On Robbery Charge (Press, 3 August 1961)

Three young men—Peter Charles Yeatman (24), Thomas Ian McGlinchy (25), and William Alexander Gill (26)—were committed for trial on a joint robbery charge involving £5. This decision was made on 2 August 1961 during a Magistrate's Court hearing in Christchurch by Justices of the Peace E. W. Olds and W. W. Laing. All three accused pleaded not guilty, with prosecution led by Senior Sergeant G. M. Cleary. The incident began on 15 July 1961 at the Valley Inn Hotel, where victim Vincent Thomas Revell, a salesman, was allegedly assaulted after offering to take a taxi home. Yeatman offered him a ride instead. Throughout the drive, Yeatman made repeated references to a party and pressured Revell for money, claiming he knew Revell was carrying cash. As the car deviated from the path back to town, McGlinchy took the wheel while Yeatman and Gill physically assaulted Revell. In his testimony, Revell recounted a disturbing struggle as he attempted to fend off his attackers while the car swerved dangerously. He managed to shout for help and fought back effectively, even biting Gill's hand. Despite being severely beaten and telling them he had no more money, he eventually handed over £5 after enduring further violence. When he tried to escape, the accused pressed their attack, ultimately leading to Revell's desperation to escape. He broke free as the car was stopped and collapsed in the street, leading to the robbers fleeing in the vehicle. Witness William Thomas Garlick heard Revell's cries for help around 10 p.m. the same evening. He saw Revell attacking the car before it sped away, seemingly without its lights on. The police were alerted, and Detective D. C. Lee later interrogated Yeatman, who denied involvement and claimed that Revell had made inappropriate suggestions. A grey scarf and a broken tooth were discovered in Yeatman’s vehicle, further implicating him and his accomplices. Subsequent interviews with the accused revealed conflicting accounts; McGlinchy claimed he bit Revell due to an alleged proposal, while Gill mentioned that they had all been drinking before the incident and could not remember much. Ultimately, the three men were granted bail set at £100 each, with one surety of £100, and were instructed to report to the police daily. The trial will address the serious allegations arising from this violent robbery incident.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand