THEFT OF POSTAL PACKETS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 134, 3 December 1910, Page 5

THEFT OF POSTAL PACKETS.

PROBATION GRANTED. A YOUTH'S NARROW ESCAPE FROM IMPRISONMENT. A youth named Cecil Stanley Chaplin came before Mr. Justice Chapman for sentence this morning on a charge of having, at the Lower Hutt, on 22nd November, unlawfully detained six postal packages, five letters, and one post-card,' and with having, between 22nd and 24th November, detained forty newspapers and thirty-one printed papers, which were tent through the post for delivery. Mr. H. F. O'Leary, who appeared for Chaplin, said he understood that where postal officials weie guilty of criminal offences they could not get probation. His Honour- : It depends on the character of the offence. Mr. O'Leary : In this case, I ask foi probation on behalf of the accused. I understand that the Probation Officer's report gives this young man a good character up to the present time. I can call evidence if your Honour desires to hear it as to his good character. His Honour : 1 will assume that your statement is correct. Mr. O'Leary : The offence is peculiar in this way. He. gained nothing by detaining the packets. He was apparently careful to see that he did not keep anything which was of importance. Six or seven letters were found, which heeleai-ed-from the box two days before he was arrested by the detective, but he had overlooked these. The only suggestion that he endeavoured to gain was through th© detention of a parcel containing Jadies' gloves; which were found in his possession. It seems to be a case of laziness. He was too lazy to deliver these packages. He is only twenty years of age. His Honour said the difficulty in these cases was that nothing made suspicion wider than this sort of thing. He was very sorry indeed that he could not accede to the request "for probation. The circumstances were such . that it -would be wrong'for him to do so, as the offence was a very serious one. If he could accept the explanation that there was no element of dishonesty, he might take a different view, but misappropriation of the contents of one packet was admitted. Mr. Ostler : The gloves were not made away with, your Honour. I wish to make this explanation on the prisoner's behalf. This altered his Honour's view of the case entirely. "As there is a doubt,"' he said, "as to whether there was any dishonest intention, I will assume that in this putting away there was no dishonest intention, and that it was only an irregularity. Under these circumstances, I think I can see my way to abstain from sentencing you at present. I will not admit you to probation, but this charge will hang over you." If you are convicted of any crime, or are guilty of any disreputable conduct, you will be sentenced on this charge. For | the present you will be ordered to come up for sentence if called upon. You must consider yourself under supervision. I am not sure that I am not stretching the law considerably, but I am always extremely reluctant to send a young man to prison." '