Petty officer convicted

Press, 27 May 1981, Page 15

Petty officer convicted

PA Auckland Judges who heard an appeal from a court martial of a Navy Petty Officer yesterday refused to vary the “extremely harsh" consequences of the senior rating’s convictions for theft ard opening a postal package. The convictions resulted n Petty Officer Ronald Thomp son. aged 34. based at Devonport. being dismissed from the Navy and losing his life pension worth more than 820.000. The three judges who heard the appeal in the High Court at Auckland heard that Thompson was dismissed 10 months before completing 20 years naval service and qutlifying for the pension. Thompson was convicted

i by the court martial of stcali ing meat, canned goods and 1 a blanket worth about s4o.’ j ? He was also convicted of ! aiding and abetting theft of I meat, attempting to pervert ! the course of justice, opening .mail and divulging the consents to others. r Thompson's appeal agai.is> the conviction for stealing canned goods, and the con- ' viction for attempting to pervert the course of justice, were successful. But the (appeal judges confirmed the other convictions. i i Delivering the single judg- . • ment from the three judges, . Mr Justice Prichard said the i 1 consequences of the sentence

were extremely, harsh. But. he said, there was no other appropriate penalty . which the Court could substitute. The Court had considered imposing a fine in conjunction with derating but. the alternative was ruled out by the provisions of the Naval Discipline Act. Mr Justice Prichard said the charges did not involve large quantities of property but were serious because of the impact on naval discipline.