THEFTS ADMITTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 56, 7 March 1932, Page 8

THEFTS ADMITTED.

POSTAL CLERK SENTENCED,

BORROWING TRANSACTIONS

"VERY SAD CASE," SAYS JUDGE,

In sentencing Albert Robert Elliott, aged 33, to 12 months' reformative detention, Mr. Justice Reed, this morning at the Supreme Court pointed out the danger to civil servants who borrowed from money-lenders. Elliott, a former employee of the Poet and Telegraph Department, had pleaded guilty in the lower Court to two charges of stealing various sums of money totalling £160 16/7, the property of the PostmasterGeneral.

_ Counsel for Elliott said the probation -report was not fftrfavourable. Elliott had been in the Civil Service for 20 years and until last August hie conduct had been above reproach. He had engaged in various other activities with hie fellow-employees, which had brought credit upon himself. His troubles began when he bought a house and later found he could not keep up the payments. He resorted to borrowing from money-lenders and his difficulties were increased by medical expenses he incurred. His work involved the handling of cash, and he began to take sums, hoping to replace them later. The offences commenced in August last and he had gone on, extracting money one day and replacing, or partly replacing, it the next. His payments to moneylenders were heavy, as the interest charged was extortionate. Elliott had a substantial sum in the superannuation fund and it would go close to making full restitution of the amount involved in the thefts.

His Honor: It is a very sad case. You had an adequate salary of £288 a year, but you got into difficulties in taking over a house. Not being able to keep up your payments you adopted the foolish course of borrowing from money-lenders. Civil eervants who borrow from money-lenders may be taking the first steps to crime. Money is borrowed at extortionate rates, and there must be a number of civil servants who have got into these difficulties. "Prisoner," said his Honor in conclusion, "I should be very glad to give you probation because you are not the type of man to do it again. But I cannot do it in this class of case. You will be sentenced to reformative detention for 12 calendar months."