THEFT OF FUNDS Union heads guilty

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 1

THEFT OF FUNDS Union heads guilty

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 19. A former general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Industrial Union of Workers, and his wife, were found guilty of the theft of union cheques worth nearly $9OOO by a jury in the Supreme Court at Auckland tonight.

The former secretary, William Alexander Orema Dempster, aged 65, and his wife, Marilyn Ann Dempster, aged 41, former union book - keeper, had pleaded not guilty to the offences. The jury took more than eight hours and a half to consider its verdict. The union’s general secretary. James Henry Hill, aged 53. and the president. John William Sylvester, aged 53. were found guilty of jointly stealing union cheques valued at $3700. In addition. Hill alone was found guilty of the theft of union cheques totalling $3995 He was also found guilty of stealing one of two sun visors purchased by the union at a cost of $55.66. The judge, Mr Justice Mahon, remanded the accused for sentence at a date to be fixed. The four were originally charged with 31 offences alleging theft and misappropriation of New Zealand Workmens’ Union cheques worth more than $40,000. | The offences allegedly took i place between September,! 11969, and April, 1972, in ! Auckland. Christchurch. IBlenheim, and Feilding. I Earlier in the trial four of the original 31 charges were dismissed at the direction of the judge after submissions bv counsel in chambers. Two further charges were dismissed today, bringing the. number of offences faced bv 1 the accused to 25. The Dempsters were found not guilty of the theft of two cheques totalling $6966.46. Hill was found not guilty, j on a joint charge with Dempster, of the theft of a cheque! I for $l6OO and not guilty—with Dempster—on a joint charge of the theft of a cheque valued at $9895. Sylvester was found not guilty of the theft of a cheque for $BOO and not guilty of the theft of a cheque for $lOOO, charges he faced jointly with the Dempsters, who were found guilty.