EMBEZZLEMENT.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17157, 28 May 1921, Page 8

EMBEZZLEMENT.

MARRYATT SENTENCED. three years- reformative treatment. (rBKM ASSOCIATION TKLEOBAH.S WELLINGTON, May 27. Tho proceedings at the Supreme Court when Arthur Marryatt, well known throughout the Dominjoni as chairman of many lending athletic bodies, came for sentence was not without a dramatic side, and prisoner appeared r*rvous. slr W. Perry, who appeared for prisoner, said it was the most trying tack that had ever fallen to his lot: that was pleading for clemency for a man ho had known for many years and with whom hc» had been associated on many bodies. The prisoner had pleaded guiity to the theft of £3575 from his employers, the Government Lifo Insurance Department. For thirty years Marryatt was in the employment of tiho Department. Tho bulk of this money was taken within the last year. From a statement prisoner made to the police, ho first took small amounts and then, as ho bebame deeply involved, took larger amounts, and gambled with these sums on the racecourse in a desperate endeavour to retrieve his position. "I am definitely instructed by the prisoner," said Mr Perry, "not to make any excuses, not to indulge in any recriminations against t'he Department which employed him, or against tiny officers connected with tho Department, and not to plead that he had Deen subjected to sudden temptation which he was unable to withstand. _ Prisoner has committed an offence against the community ; 'ho has done an injury to the community for which tho law demands that ho be punished, but, your Honour, the law also mercifully provides that the circumstances may_ be taken into consideration in mitigation of that punishment. I desire first of all to refer to the previous good character borne by prisoner; he has had thirty years' industrious, efficient service in tho Department ; till now he has had a record absolutely unblemished; till now he has had a reputation in the community which was second to none. His reputation was such that tlhe news of his arrest was greeted by all thoso who knew him at first with incredulity, and then, when the facts became known, with feelings of "stupefaction." Mr Perry referred at length to prisoner's long connexion with all branches of clean sport, his work on patriotic societies, his uprightness, fairness, and honesty until lie fell. During the past ten years the name of Arthur Marryatt was on oil committees and associations formed for the advancement of the public welfare. Counsel urged these and other facts in mitigation. When first he found himself going down, Mnrryatt lost his head,' forgot "his sense of proportion, and so, aftor 48 years' useful life, he found himself in the position in which he was to-dity. Since liis arrest, and before his arrest, ho had given alt possible assistance to the police and the Department to clear up t'lie state of affairs that had been found to oxist, 'and since his plea of guilty in the Magistrate's Court had waited daily for .sentence. In conclusion, counsel pointed out that Marryatt had lost his superannuation —a. goodly sum alter so many years' service—and that his lifo was ruined. . Marrvatt's attorney had been instructed to hand over to the Cro>vn certain property 'held bv the prisoner. His Honour stated that counsel's address had made a very powerful appeal to one's feelings in the matter before the Court. It was very painful to have to deal with such a case. He did not intend to say anything which would add to the remorse of the prisoner. He thought, after reviewing tilie facts, that a yery large sum of money was involved, and punishment cotild not be counted by a/teriji of imprisopment. Prisoned had . already bfeen seteirely punished liy the public disgrace in which he found himself. The" sentence would be one which could be reviewed from time to time by the Prisons Boiard. He was satisfied Uhat the sentence was the minimum sentence possible. It mig:ht even be said that it was lenient in the extreme. His Honour said he had been influenced by the matters placed before him which were not all in the depositions, and had decided that prisoner should be detained for t/hree years' reformative purposes.