To Wanganui (Evening Post, 30 September 1936)

On 30 September 1936, news emerged from Auckland regarding a young man arrested for theft while disguised as a girl. Phillip Walter Darcy Stewart, aged 19, was apprehended at a hotel in the city after allegedly stealing a car valued at £230, which belonged to Jack Herbert Luxford of Wanganui. Stewart was remanded to appear in court in Wanganui on October 5 to face the charges. During the proceedings, Stewart's counsel argued that the charge should be downgraded to unlawful conversion and requested that the case be heard summarily in Auckland. However, Detective-Sergeant McHugh countered that the police were firm on maintaining the original charge, noting that Stewart admitted to stealing the vehicle with the intention of selling it in order to fund a trip to Sydney. He further revealed that some belongings of the car's owner had been disposed of in the Wanganui River, which might lead to additional charges in the future. Magistrate Mr. F. K. Hunt expressed his agreement with the defense's sentiment that the proceedings could prove to be an unnecessary expenditure of public resources. He remarked that the case could be resolved quickly if dealt with immediately in Auckland. Despite this, he acknowledged that the charge was serious and, as it was indictable, had no choice but to remand Stewart to Wanganui. Bail was set at £300, or alternatively in two sureties of £150 each, as the court prepared for Stewart's upcoming appearance.

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

phillip stewart