YOUNG WOMAN’S THEFT

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 313, 30 September 1926, Page 9

YOUNG WOMAN’S THEFT

STOLE MONEY TO BACK HORSES THOUGHT IT IMPOSSIBLE TO BE FOUND OUT Tn tho Magistrate’s Court yesterday a young woman (aged 26) was charged with stealing 41251 9s. Sd„ the property of Kirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd., by whom she had been employed.. She sat in ths dock weeping all the time. . Ths accused, who pleaded guilty, was represented by Mr. H. H. Cornish. ' Edmund John Archibald, secretary of Kirkcaldie and Stains, gave evidence that accused had been employed by the firm for the past eight years. It was previously the duty of the cashier to place ths refund money in scaled envelopes, but in practice this was done by the assistants. About September 15 witness had occasion to question accused m regard to a refund which a customer stated had not been received. Accused s explanation was not satisfactory, and no trace of the amount having been sent could ba found in the postage book. Witness suspended accused, and the following day she came to him. and said that at various times she had stolen sums of money which she had entered as refund amounts sent to customers, the refunds were usually to country customers who had remitted too much money for the goods bought by them. Accused had made rr-Htution of .£136. Tn reply to tr. Cornish, witness stated that there would be a good chance of accused obtaining a position with tho firm again if the Court decided to place her on probation. “When I interviewed accused about the matter she made a statement to me that she had done a considerable amount of betting on horses.” said Detective Bayliss, who arrested her. Accused also told me that she had given the money to another employee of the firm to put on horses which she wished to back.” Witness then placed a statement made by accused into evidence. “About twelve months ago I commenced taking money which had been handed to me as refunds to customers and converting it to my own use," accused had said. “I cannot say how much money 1 have taken altogether, but I know that it is a considerable •amount. Part of my duties was to attend to the refunds to customers. This was carried out in the following manner: I received the money, placed it in envelopes, and handed, it to a junior to post. Instead of doing this I have been keeping the money. I havo spent all I have taken, the biggest portion of it going on the races. When I commenced to take the money I could not see how it would be possible for me to bo found out.” In committing accused to the Supreme Court for Sentence the Magistrate (Mr. E Page, S.M.) stated that as her name had been previously suppressed ho would renew that order again. Bail was once more allowed in the sum of £lOO, with one surety of a similar amount.