Woman Admits Stealing £1126 From Employers

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29900, 14 August 1962, Page 7

Woman Admits Stealing £1126 From Employers

(Neto Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Aug, 13. A 52-year-old woman clerk whose name was suppressed pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington today to charges of stealing, as a servant, a total of £1126 12s 7d. She was charged with stealing £948 las lOd between May 10. 1960, and December 22, 1961, while a servant employed by the Drapery and General Importing Co. (N.Z.), Ltd., and with stealing £177 16s 9d between January 11 and April 13 this year. She was remanded on bail for a week by Mr M - B Scully, S.M. Sergeant A. Davey prosecuted and Mr G. L. McLeod appeared for the accused. Sergeant Davey said that about October, 1951, the accused began work for the company as clerk in charge of the lay-by office. On April 23 this year a trial balance was taken in the lay-by office. That revealed a discrepancy with the control account in the general office ledgers.

Further investigations showed that for some months the accused, in order to balance the trial balances for each individual ledger, had added an amount equal to the mount of her defalcations. A list was found in the accused’s handwriting in a

box in the lay-by department showing those adjustments and giving the name and account number of those ledger cards where a final payment had been made, the number of receipt issued and the money taken. On checking with the ledger it was found that an entry had been made for the cash, but it was not supported by a genuine receipt. The receipt number quoted was either fictitious or related to an entirely different transaction. The accused frankly admitted she took the money. She said it all started in an error of not issuing a receipt and things had grown beyond her control. She had spent the money.

Sergeant Davey said the defendant was a married woman with four adult daughters. She was separated from her husband. She had not previously appeared in Court.