Funeral-article offenders ‘naive’

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 7

Funeral-article offenders ‘naive’

Three men who resorted to using stolen funeral items for their newly-established business were told in the District Court yesterday that their “whole venture .was quite naive.” Sentencing the three men Judge Paterson said that each was of considerable ability and that there was absolutely no excuse for their lapse in standards. Peter Andrew Lawrence, aged 32, was earlier convicted as an employee of J. Lamb and Son, Ltd, of stealing gowns and side sets valued at $877, 45 sets of casket handles valued at $1037. casket accessories valued at $460, and three bolts of calico valued at $392, to a total value of $2766, the property of his employer.Geoffrey Robert TophamHall, aged 26, and Barring-

ton Michael Brinson,' aged 45, were earlier convicted on joint charges of receiving stolen property from Lawrence. Topham-Hall admitted receiving all the funeral items stolen by Lawrence, and Brinson admitted a lesser amount — $2301 —-as he was absent when the lasi consignment was received. Each was released on probation for 12 months, fined $5OO and ordered to do 120 hours community work. Counsel (Mr S. G. Erber) said that established firms had driven the three to the offence. The new business had had trouble obtaining funeral items for funerals which they had promised to carry out.

The opposition of established firms added an almost awesome meaning to the phrase —“the unacceptable

face of capitalism." Brinson and Topham-Hall had set up the business to cut down the cost of funerals for people who could not afford the prices offered by established funeral directors.

Lawrence was to join the business, later as the third partner.

The Judge said that the defendants should have expected, rightly or wrongly, opposition from established firms. The defendants were naive in that they did not look more carefully into the situation of supply before seeking orders.

Theft as a servant was one of the more serious crimes of theft But the receiving charges against the two other defendants was just as serious.