THEFT OF £716.

Auckland Star, Volume LVX, Issue 268, 12 November 1934, Page 9

THEFT OF £716.

POWER BOARD FUNDS.

ACCOUNTANT GAOLED. COUNSEL'S PLEA FOR FAMILY. The fact that the consequences of a man's erime fall heavily upon his family cannot be taken into consideration in inflicting punishment, said Mr. Justice Herdman at the Supreme Court this morning when sentencing Francis Joseph Cramp on four charges of theft from the Central Waikato Electric Power Board. The prisoner had pleaded guilty to the theft of £710 while accountant of the board. On his behalf Mr. McDiannid. of Hamilton, asked his Honor seriously to consider granting probation. Cramp, he said, had had an exemplary career apart from this breach. He was a married man with three children, aged 9, 11 and 13 years, at an age when thej needed p'arental control. Any punishment inflicted would cause most suffering to the wife and family. His Honor: That always happens. They should think of their wife and family before they steal. Mr. McDiannid added that the consequences of the son's action would aggravate the ill-health of prisoner's mother. He understood that the probation officer's report, and that of the police were favourable to the prisoner. Cramp, after the discovery of the thefts, had given every ass'staneo to the police and the officials of the board. If admitted to probation, counsel felt he would retrieve his position and take his place again as a respectable- and useful citizen.

His Honor said that he always felt sorry for those unfortunate people who suffered in consequence of a man's misdeeds. In most of the cases of this nature, it happened that the wife or members of the family suffered. That, however, could not be taken into cccsideration in inflicting punishment. If he admitted the prisoner to probation, he would be creating a very dangerous precedent. There was very little to distinguish this case from others.

His Honor then pointed out that Cramp had been in a position of trust. He was in receipt of a weekly wage of £7, and in addition he had been allowed from £150 to £200 a year by his mother. Notwithstanding this good position for a comparatively young man, he had set to work to rob the power board. Taking that into consideration, how could he (the judge) accede to counsel's request. The sentence would be made as light as possible, because the report about the prisoner was extremely favourable.

The sentence imposed was two ycar3 reformative detention.