POSTAL THEFTS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 69, 15 December 1931, Page 11

POSTAL THEFTS

Mail Officer Sentenced SERIOUS VIEW TAKEN Protecting the Public By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, December 14. “The report of the probation officer is unfavourable and apparently you have been going the pace,” said Mr. Justice Smith In passing sentence upon William Janies Hall at the Supreme Court. Prisoner had pleaded guilty to two charges of theft of postal packets and one charge of forging a registered letter receipt. In pleading for leniency, counsel for prisoner said that offences by postal officials were particularly deplorable because they caused suspicion to be cast upon innocent people. In Hall’s case this was not so, because he had admitted his offences to the police. He was 27 years of age, had 14 years’ honourable service in the Post Office, and had a wife and four children. His acts had ruined his career and brought the greatest unhappiness upon himself and his family. “How he came to commit the offences, goodness only knows,” added counsel. His Honour: Have you seen the probation officer’s report? Counsel: No, sir. His Honour: Then you had better, look at it.

Counsel, after reading the report, said that it seemed that when people got into a certain state of mind they went the pace regardless of consequences. The amount involved in the charges was £l6/17/6. “The charges, are serious and the public has to be protected,” said his Honour. “The probation officer’s report is not a good one, and apparently you have been going the pace. I am not going to refer to the charges in detail. You will be sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment upon each charge, the sentences to be concurrent.”