Clerk Admits Theft Of £2800 From Employers

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27747, 26 August 1955, Page 6

Clerk Admits Theft Of £2800 From Employers

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

A man who had been entrusted with the handling of his employer’s financial matters admitted in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning that in a little more than a year he had spent more than £2OOO, most of it on race betting. He was Gordon David Heney, aged 25, a Clark, of Amberley (Mr B. McClelland), who pleaded guilty to a charge that on July 21, 1954, and on dates between then and July 31, 1955, being the servant of Macdonald Brothers (Amberley), Ltd., he stole money totalling £2802 4s, the property of Macdonald Brothers. Mr L. N. Ritchie, S.M., was on the Bench.

Detective-Sergeant E. G. Ward said that for the last 18 months Heney had been employed at Amberley by the complainants, who operated a car and tractor agency and a garage. The accused was responsible for handling much of the financial business of the firm and he was in a position of complete trust. At the end of the last financial year the firm decided to have a balancesheet drawn up and the accused was instructed to hand over the books to an accountant in Christchurch, said Detective-Sergeant Ward. The accused did not hand over the books immediately, however, and it was not until August 1 that he was made to take the books to the accountant. He left Amberley that day with the books, but he did not arrive in Christchurch. Later that day he called at the Akaroa Solice station and told the police that e had stolen a large sum of money from his employers at Amberley. He was taken to Christchurch and inter-

viewed by detectives. His employers had previously been a little suspicious of his actions m view of his apparent reluctance to hand over the books for perusual, said Detective-Sergeant Ward. At the detective office he agreed he had stolen a large sum of money and a full investigation later made disclosed that the sum missing was £2BOO. The accused agreed that this sum was correct.

He had obtained the money by three methods, said Detective-Sergeant Ward. He manipulated the wages account by overdrawing wages cheques on occasions or by drawing fictitious cheques for wages. It was part of his work to prepare cheques for signature. On occasions he paid wages out of cash takings and banked the cheques to his own account. Another method was by stealing open cheques paid into the firms accounts and paying them into his own banking account. The third method was by taking cash from the firm’s funds and short-banking the balance, said Detective-Sergeant Ward. An investigation disclosed that accused had a current bank account at Rangiora and on August 1 had a balance of £5ll 13s lid. The accused had admitted that this money belonged to his employers. DetectiveSergeant Ward asked that this money be paid back to the firm as restitution. The accused had admitted that a great deal of the money had disappeared on race horses. He was paid £l3 a week in the job, but he had been living far beyond his means at Amberley. Heney was remanded to September 1. The Magistrate asked for a report from the Probation Officer. CONVICTED FOR ASSAULT “This picture was of the thriller type and in some such cases there are people who live the part and become hysterical. Whether the accused is like that I do not know, but I do know that Mrs Papps’s evidence is the truth. I feel that an assault did occur, although it was a very minor pne,” said the Magistrate, when he entered a conviction against David James Little, aged 30, a machinist (Mr R. S. Dacre), on a charge of assaulting Colleen Mary Papps on August 19. Little pleaded not guilty. Mrs Papps gave evidence that she attended a 5 o’clock session at a theatre on August 19. The accused was shown

into the next seat. She felt his knee pressing into her leg and thinking it was accidental, she moved her legs. A little later the same thing occurred and then suddenly the accused’s left hand gripped her above the knee in a tight hold. She then slapped accused’s face and together they went to see the manager, who called the police. The picture was of the “Wood and thunder” type, she said. Little in evidence said that after he had been seated for about 15 minutes he became uncomfortable when a patron on his other side pressed his elbow in his (Little’s) side. He moved and while engrossed in the picture, he might have touched the complainant. His hand touched Mrs Papps’s coat and then he was

slapped. The Magistrate said that as far as the penalty was concerned he looked upon the assault as an involuntary one. Little was fined £2.

Reginald Sylvester Murfitt, aged 61, (Mr Dacre) was convicted and fined £2 on a charge that on August 19 he assaulted Linda Muriel Wicks. Evidence was given for the prosecution that Murfitt had come home under the influence of liquor, was very abusive and had struck Mrs Wicks in the

eye with his closed fist. He had been boarding at the house for about three and a half years and had caused trouble previously. Murfitt denied having struck Mrs Wicks and said he could not understand why she and a corroborative witness had sworn that he had. The Magistrate said he was satisfied that an assault had taken place. FINED FOR THEFT

Lorna McDonald, a married woman, pleaded not guilty to a charge that on July 29 she stole a pair of men’s socks valued at 6s 9d the property of

Woolworths <N.Z.). Ltd. She was convicted and fined £4. She was represented by Mr B. G. Dingwall. David Rex McKenzie, manager of the Sydenham branch of Wool worths, said that on July 29 at 7.30 p.m. he saw Mrs McDonald in the shop. She picked up a pair of men’s socks, folded them over and then walked away. He accosted her outside the shop. She then produced from her bag the socks and a £1 note and offered to pay for them. Mrs McDonald said that when she

was not served she left the counter with the socks and money in her hand. She was looking for her hus- < band at the door of the shop when ] she was accosted. She said she in- ; tended to return to the counter and ( pay for the socks but she was not j given the chance. < REMANDED . Gordon Roy Tolchard, aged 23, a j labourer, was remanded to September i 1 on a charge that on August 24 he 1 was found without lawful excuse but in circumstances that did not disclose < the commission of or the intention to commit any other offence, on the en- : closed premises of 416 Durham street. ; He was allowed bail of £5O with one surety of £5O, and is to report daily to the police. i BREACH OF PROBATION Ronald Stuart Alexander, aged 31, a car salesman (Mr B. McClelland) was convicted and discharged on a charge that he committed a breach of his probationary licence in that he failed to make payments as directed by the Probation Officer. Mr J. Riley, the Probation Officer, said that Alexander had recently been sentenced tn 18 months’ imprisonment in the Supreme Court for theft. In his report to his Honour he had mentioned this charge and no doubt his Honour had taken this into consideration when fixing penalty. He did not ask for further penalty. PROBATION FOR CAR CONVERSION Terence Desmond Bradshaw, aged 21, a labourer (Mr N. G. Hattaway) was released on probation for two years under special conditions when he appeared for sentence on a charge of converting a car valued at £650, the property of Raymond Ruben Ayers. The special conditions of his probatioff were that he must take out a prohibition order and must abstain from liquor during the currency of the probation, he must not apply for a driver’s licence for 18 months, nor isjhe to be allowed to drive or own a He must alsoj

make restitution for damage done to the car, as directed by the Probation Officer. Mr Hattaway _jsaid the accused at times had maintained that he had no recollection of taking the car. There was no reason for him to take the car. He was only a short distance from his home when he committed the offence. The accused would have to pay a substantial sum for the damage done to the car. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE “Kerr, already you have well over 100 convictions for this class of offence,” said the Magistrate, when Alfred Sydney Kerr, aged, 51, a labourer, appeared for sentence on three charges of false pretences and two of-obtaining credit by fraud. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. The Magistrate told him he was now eligible for preventive detection. YOUTH FINED Keith Allan Dawson, aged 17, charged with entering a billiards room without parent or guardian when under the age of 18 years, was fined £2. UNLAWFULLY ON RACECOURSE Desmond Vane Campbell, a freezing worker, who pleaded guilty to a charge of being unlawfully on the Riccarton racecourse on August 6, was fined £ 10. LIQUOR NEAR DANCE HALL For being in possession of liquor near a dance hall Gavin Eric Williams was fined £3. BREACH OF PROHIBITION ORDER For a breach of his prohibition order Basil William Palmer, who pleaded guilty, was fined 10s. FAILURE TO ATTEND PARADES For failing to attend military parades as directed Keith McAlister was fined £5 and Brian Vincent Mangan £3. CONVERSION OF BICYCLE John Gerard Mannix, aged 25 (Mr B. McClelland) was fined £2 for unlawfully converting to his own use a bicycle valued at £ 18, the property of Brian Wilfred Soal. In imposing the fine, the Magistrate said the penalty inflicted indicated that the offence was not as serious as others of this nature. TRAFFIC BREACHES. For breaches of the traffic regulations, offenders were dealt with as follows:

Driving without due care and attention.—Robert Tomson Connelly, £2; Roger Anthony Foster Nelson, £2 (no warrant of fitness 10s). Failing to give way.—Donald McBeath Coulter, £2; Harry Graeme Roger Gunthorp, £2; Walter Hanlin, £2 (no warrant of fitness, £1); Mary Dominica Rush, 30s; Gordon Lewis Spriggs, £2 (no driver’s licence, ordered to pay costs); John Thompson, 30s (no driver’s licence £l, no warrant of fitness 10s); Theodorus Vullers, £2. No warrant of fitness.—-William Selwyn O’Neill, 10s; Thomas Woods Torrens, 10s. CIVIL CASES (Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.) ORDER FOR POSSESSION Molly Frances McMillan, a married woman (Mr B. McClelland) was granted possession of a house at 81 Riselaw street, from Henry George McMillan, a traffic assistant (Mr B. J. Drake).

In her statement of claim, the plaintiff said that on February 7, she and the defendant entered into a written agreement for separation. In the agreement, she alleged that the defendant acknowledged that she was entitled to the sole possession of the house at 81 Riselaw street, and he agreed to assign to her at her request all his estate and interest in the property after she had paid him or secured payment to him of £167 7s 6d. She alleged that since the agreement, the defendant entered into possession and had remained in possession without right or title. JUDGMENT FOR PLAINTIFF Charles Begg and Co. Limited, was given judgment for £7 5s Id, against Thomas Shearer.

, JUDGMENT SUMMONSES ’ On judgment summonses, orders were made as follows: Frederick Frank Gillan to pay the Inland Revenue Department £36 14s 2d, in default 36 days’• imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he pays £2 a week; J. N. Nicholls P S y Stacey and Hawker, Limited, £5 7s Id, in default six days' imprisonment; C. Douglas to pay Stanton Bros. £8 19s 6d, in default nine days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he pays 10s a week; J. Hindson to pay the Central Carrying Co., Limited, £33 15s 4d, m default 35 days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he pays £1 a week: John Denton to pay Francis Dorn Cronin £69 19s, in default 70 days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he pays £2 a week; Peter Arthur James Clough to pay the Inland Revenue Department £54 0s 7d, in default 55 days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he pays £lO a month; A. W. Blackpay Waimak Shingle and Sand, Limited, £4 9s 3d, in default five days’ imprisonment; Jeoffrey Woodhouse to pay the Inland Revenue Department £27 9s lOd, in default 28 days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he pays £2 a week; James Jaffs to pay the Inland Revenue Department £4 17s 6d. in default five days’ imprisonment. Jaffs, on a second order, was ordered to pay the Inland Revenue Department £7 0s 4d, in default seven days imprisonment, the warrant not to be issued for one month.