THEFT ADMITTED

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 184, 2 May 1929, Page 9

THEFT ADMITTED

CLOSE ON £5OO STOLEN CLERK COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE Douglas Milligan Slater, who was recently escorted back from Sydney by Detective McLennan, appeared before Mr. B. Page, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a charge of stealing between July 20, 1928, and March 21, 1929, sums of money totalling £490 7s. 7d., the property of Dougall, Coombs and Co., Ltd. The accused, who pleaded guilty, was represented by Mr. W. E. Leicester. Archiebald Dougall. one of the directors of the firm, said that the accused had been employed by his firm from March 1, 1927, as a clerk and bookkeeper at a salary of £4 15s. per week. On March 1 of this year irregularities were discovered in the office cash and the accused was given a month’s notice. He finished with the firm on March 28. It was the duty of accused to receive cash on - behalf of the firm and to attend to the banking. In November, 1928, a quantity of castings were supplied by the firm to the City Council ,to the value of £152 17s. 4d. On April 8 last Mr. Forsyth, a public accountant, examined the books of the firm, and it was then found that the accused had not accounted for £43, which sum he had collected on behalf of the firm. A warrant was then issued for the arrest of accused, and he was brought from Sydney. Thomas Forsyth said that on April 8 last he examined the. books of the firm, and he found that the accused had failed to account for the sum mentioned by the previous witness. On April 24 witness saw the accused at the Wellington detective office on his return from Sydney. Accused said he would give every assistance to clear up his defalcations, and this he had done. Witness went through the books with the accused and Detective McLennan, and the accused pointed out several amounts he had failed to account for. The total shortage was £490 7s. 7d. Detective McLennan gave corroborative evidence, stating that the accused had given every assistance on his return to Wellington to clear the matter up. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was refused.