MAGISTRATE’S COURT Theft Of £2890 From Legal Firm Admitted

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31153, 1 September 1966, Page 7

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Theft Of £2890 From Legal Firm Admitted

A law firm’s book-keeper stole £2890 from his employers over a period of about five years, Mr H. J. Evans, S.M., was told in the Magistrate’s Court, yesterday. Morris Eric Anderson, aged 38, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft as a servant of a total of £2890 from the firm of Wilding, Perry and Acland, which later became Wilding and Acland, between October 20, 1961, and August 5, 1966. He was convicted and remanded on bail until September 12 for sentence. Mr J. G. Leggat appeared for Anderson. Sergeant V. F. Townshend said that between October 20, 1961, and August 5, 1966, Anderson had been employed by Wilding and Acland as a

clerk in charge of the accountancy side of the firm’s work. He had joined the firm on its establishment in October, 1961, and was not formally qualified as an accountant. He alone made out, signed and cashed the salaries cheque each fortnight and made up and distributed the individual salaries to the firm’s employees, said Sergeant Townsend. Anderson had made out the fortnightly salaries for an excessive amount, generally between £lO and £4O, but he entered the correct amount in the “charges” column of the cash book, said Sergeant Townshend. These excessive amounts were not entered as individual items but were included in the “disbursements” column (that is, items paid 'out for and chargeable to I clients) which was wrongly added, the excess being included in the total each time. This enabled the cash book to be reconciled each month with the bank statement, said Sergeant Townshend. Each month the total dis-, bursements were debited to the ledger against costs charged, and each year the total disbursements were deducted from the total costs to give the years’ profit. Sergeant Townshend said the total deducted was excessive but was not detected when the accounts were closed at the end of the year. This process had been repeated year by year. The cash book and ledger were kept by Anderson, and as this account was a private office account it was not audited as the trust account was, said Sergeant Townshend. When Anderson made out the salaries cheque for an excessive amount he would himself make out the individual salaries for the firm’s employees, as well as his own, and then retain by means of stealing, the excess money. Sergeant Townshend said Anderson had signed the wages card indicating he had received the normal salary, but the amounts stolen on each occasion were unrecorded. DRUNKENESS Hugh Menzies McDonald, aged 50, a marine engineer, was convicted and fined £2 on a charge of being drunk in Armagh street on August 30. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Townshend said that this was McDonald’s second offence of the same nature within the last six months. DANGEROUS SPEED Charged with driving at a speed which was or might have been dangerous on the Main North road on June 14, Ronnie Vaughan Thompson, aged 24. a shoe repairer (Mr R. G. Blunt), was convicted and fined £2O, and disqualified from driving for one year. He pleaded guilty. Traffic Officer M. Fuller said that at 6.30 p.m. on June 14 he was operating a microwave unit in the temporary 20 miles an hour restricted area just south of the Styx bridge on the Main North road. Because of roadworks, the road had been arrowed to one side, carrying two carriageways. The road was about 18 or 19 feet wide. Thompson was checked driving north at a speed of 55 miles an hour. The road was wet and traffic light, Traffic Officer Fuller said. Mr Blunt said that no road works were in progress at the time of the offence. Thompson’s had been the only car in the restricted area, he said. FINED £l2 Steve Mitchell, Ltd., a car- ; tage firm, was fined £4 on each . of three charges of failing to I give drivers sufficient rest I from the time they finished duty one day until they began work the next day. Traffic Officer L. B. Bolton said that the charges arose out of complaints made to the Transport Department. Other firms were also investigated at the same time and these i had been prosecuted and I fined. On two occasions a i driver named Redmond had only an eight hour break and | the same thing happened : with another driver, J. R. Buck, on one occasion. The manager of the defendant firm had told him that when the offences occurred in February the company was very busy. There had been delays at the saleyards and at firms in the city where the drivers had to wait for their trucks to be unloaded, Traffic Officer Bolton said. OTHER TRAFFIC CASES In other traffic cases brought by the Transport Department, convictions were entered and penalties imposed as follows, with Court costs £1 10s on each Charge: Exceeded 30 miles an hour: Brent David Roberts, £4 10s; Loraine Elizabeth Cowie. £S; Ross James Drewitt, £10; James Peter McGowan, £3 10s; Raymond Gordon Maynard, £3;

Anthony Harrison Mitchell, £7; Wayne Charles Ragg, £5 10s; Alan George Cowan, £2 10s; Patrick Albert Whalan, £10; Lester Black, £4 10s; James Joseph Gill, £2; David William Mayes, £7; Patrick James Norris, £5; .Dennis John Burger, £5 10s; Loraine Elizabeth Cowie, £5; Margaret Anne McFedries, £5 10s; Cynthia Betty Newton, £3; Gordon Harold Wates, £6; Edna Mavis Ashworth, £5 10s; lan Sydney Buxton, £8; John Stewart Tasman Dawson, £8 10s; Eric Dickie, £5 10s; Bruce Dunbar Hawke, £9; Edward Henry Lubbers, £7; Robery Henry Meaclem, £6; Michael Brian Oliver. £7; Gary Raymond Philips, £8; Brian George Queen, £l5; Colin David Rainey, £8 10s; Henry Maxwell Simpson, £8 10s; Neil Bruce Woodgate, £6: Harold Houghton Winsloe, £7 10s; Alfred William Gilbert Barlow, £3; Richard James Condick, £7; Barry Crone, £8 10s: Rulalie Marion Kelly, £7: Jennifer Mutton, £5: Joan Perry, £5 10s; Simon Simeondis, £5; Peter Frederick Stretch, £5; Raymond Gordon Sumpster, £10; Michael Durham Throp, £8 10s; John Eric Waine, £5: Gary Joseph Wilson, £3 10s; Gavin Francis Atkinson, £5; Clifford Wallace Blssett, £5; Stewart Ernest Mair, £8 10s; Basil Kenneth Pettigrew, £3 10s; Ross Linton Power, £7; Peter Lawrence Read, £7; Francis Russell Reid, £7; David Reginald Allen, £5; Dawn Bruton, £6 10s; John Desmond Devin, £5; William Joseph James Gillespie, £6; Donald Hosking, £9; Fennes Albert Jonge £10; Trevor Thompson' McGregor, £7. Exceeded 55 miles an hour: Amy Cecelia O'Rourke, £3 10s (no current driver’s licence, £3 10s); Desmond George Robinson, £3 10s; Brian Francis Watson, £7 10s. Exceeded 40 miles an hour with trailer: Clarence George Hadley,' £6; Brian Phillip Harry Howard, £5; Virginia Norah Johnson, £6 16s. Exceeded 45 miles an hour with a pillion passenger: Waide Vaughan Maisey, £6; Peter John Ransley, £6. Exceeded temporary speed limit: James Duncan Austin, £6 10s; Noel James Foulkes, £7. Failed to stop at compulsory stop: William Eric John Galey, £5; Francis William Jones, £4 10s; Donald Lane Matheson, £5: John Edward Cunneen, £5. licence suspended for one month; Margaret Ellen Jones, £5; Hillary Mary Solomon, £6; Ellen Jane Straver, £6; Michael McDouall Eaton. £9; Kenneth Roger Jones, £5; Henry William Lawrence, £6. Proceeded from compulsory stop sign before way was clear: Pearson Barnes, £5. Failed to give way at give way sign: Nola Francis Taylor, £5. Failed to comply with traffic lights: William John Keith, £l5: Christopher John Mountfort, £5, disqualified from driving for one month. Failed to yield right of way: Leona Mary Coatsworth, £6. Failed to keep left: Dennis Graeme Murray, £2 10s; Robin David Frederick Ridden, £4 (exceeded 30 miles an hour, £9). Careless driving: Dennis Patrick Morrissey, £lO. Insufficient lights: Bob Cornelius Roskan, £5 10s (no rear reflectors, costs only): (no warrant of fitness, costs only); Hoai .Nong Le Cong, £1; Betty Lorraine Curtis, £8; William George Lee, £4. Wrongly adjusted headlights; Martin James Fletcher, £3, Wayne Gregory Nash, £3 (no warrant of fitness, costs). No red rear light on goods service vehicle: Bars Motors, £4 10s; Raymond John Bourke, £4 10s; David John Bourn, £2 10s. No light on bicycle: Roger James Simpson, £1 (no brake on cycle, £1). Wrong class of driver’s licence: Robert James Purton, £6. Failed to display L plates: Ashley McClure, £6 10s. Noisy motor vehicle: Barry Robert Cairns, £B. Insecure trailer: Zane Walken Findlay, £3 10s; Kevin Allan Carlaw, £5. No warrant of fitness: James Vincent Brooks, 10s: lan Parkes Gordon, £3; Frederick Donald Whitelaw, £2 (failed to S reduce driver’s licence, £2): ryce Olof Anderson, £1 10s (no rear red light on trailer, £1 10s). No certificate of fitness: Douglas Boulton Redmond, £4. Exceeding heavy traffic licence: Bromley Firewood Company, Ltd., £5 (exceeding certificate of fitness, £3); Allan Hunter Campbell, £4: Frews Motors, Ltd., £4 (exceeded axle weight limit, £4); Albert Edward Rogers, £5. Exceeded axle weight: McKay Contracting Company, Ltd., £5; John Alexander Edge. £5 (exceeded heavy traffic licence, £5: exceeded certificate of fitness, £5; vehicle authority not carried, £5); Mitchell, Bros., £5. (Before Mr A. C. Rhodes and P. A. Le Brun) COMMITTED FOR TRIAL Leslie Malcolm Muir, aged 34, a contractor, was committed for trial in the Supreme Court on a charge of breaking and entering the premises of Consolidated Concrete, Ltd., on or about July 12. He pleaded not guilty. Robert Harry Patterson, manager of Consolidated Concrete, Ltd., said Muir had been employed by the firm till June 29. On the morning of July 13, witness had been called to his office at 8.30 a.m. and had found a window 10 feet from the ground had been forced open. A number of tools, plans and maps valued at about £36 had been taken. Detective Roger McKenzie Bethwaite, of Wellington, said the fingerprints left on the forced window were identical with the fingerprints taken of the accused. Mrs Heather Jane Wyatt, a housewife, said the defendant had called at her place on July 23 and said he would either have Mr Patterson in gaol in Sunnyside or broke before he finished with him. Detective lan David McEldowney said he had interviewed the accused at his home and Muir had admitted that there was soma friction between Mr Patterson and himself but denied the burglary and denied that he had been back to Consolidated Concrete, Ltd., since he had been employed there.