SUPREME COURT Clerk Found Guilty On Twelve Theft Charges

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27581, 11 February 1955, Page 8

SUPREME COURT Clerk Found Guilty On Twelve Theft Charges

Eleanor Elizabeth Gladys Low, aged 23, a clerk, was found guilty by a jury in the Supreme Court yesterday on 12 charges of theft as a servant. Mr Justice Adams remanded Low in custody for sentence. .. The hearing began on Tuesday, continued on Wednesday, and ended yesterday. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr A. W. grown) appeared for toe Crown. Mr H. W. Hunter and Mr W. F. Brown represented Low, who pleaded hot guilty to all 12 charges. The jury returned their verdicts after a retirement of four hours and a quarter. The first 11 charges on which Low was found guilty were that, being a . cr * employed by Patrick Curran, trading as Currans Motors at Kaikoura, she stole the following amounts from her employer; £lO 10s 9d on July 8, 13s 10d on August 21, 1953: £1 17s on October 5, 1953; £l4 5s on October 12, 1953; £3 9s 8d on Novemser £27 19s 7d on December 2*’ on February 9, 1954; £ 3 on February 9, 1954; £9 6s Sd on February 9, 1954; £36 on April

1, 1954; and £9 10s 4d on April 22, 1954.

The twelfth charge was that between October 15, 1952, and July 2, 1954, she stole further sums totalling £1279 19s 5d from her employer. When the foreman was asked if a verdict had been reached on this count he said the jury had found Low guilty of stealing approximately £7OO on this count.

His Honour then amended the indictment to read that between October 15, 1952, and July 2, 1954, Low stole approximately £7OO. The jury were then asked for their verdict on this amended count and the foreman replied “Guilty.” Counsel for the Crown and for the defence addressed the jury yesterday. His Honour then summed up in the course of which he said: “I would not myself, on the material before us, convict the accused of the theft of all the money stated in the indictment. It is possible that some of the money did go in some of the ways suggested by the defence.” The jury retired at 12.55 p.m. and returned at 5.10 pjn. with their verdicts.