EXTRAVAGANT LIVING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1927, Page 5

EXTRAVAGANT LIVING.

CATJSE or YOUNG MAN'S

CRIME

PROBATION GRANTED

(By Telegraph.—Own correspondent.!

HAMILTON, this day

A young railway clerk, James Leslie Rapson. aged 22, came up for sentence before Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M.. to-day on a series of charges of theft of moneys totalling £20 odd. the property of the Railway Department. Mr. J. F. Strang, who appeared for accused, said he had little to add to what already had been said, except that when interviewed by the police Rapson frankly and" fully acknowledged his guilt. The money had been taken by reason of extravagances induced by accused's association with a young woman.

Addressing the prisoner, his Worship said he would treat the offences as one. It was not as though accused had been stealing systematically. He appeared to have been under some particular stress at the time he stole the money. As the sum of £20 odd was secured to the Department by moneys in accused's superannuation account there was no need for his Worship to make any order for repayment. Rapson was 22, and he had been with the Department ever since he left school. He seemed to have behaved himself well all along. To tine him would be useless, as he had no money, and to send him to gaol would not be to his interests. His Worship proposed to place him on probation for two years. As his present position had been attributed somewhat to extravagance of living, a special condition of his probation would be that Jie render a correct monthly ! record of his receipts and expenditure to the Probation Officer.