OVER £400 EMBEZZLED

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 46, 23 February 1921, Page 8

OVER £400 EMBEZZLED

BOOK-KEEPER COMMITTED FOR

SENTENCE.

■• A. young man, Joseph Henry Pike, who was arrested by Detective Black on the steamer Moeraki immediately prior to her departure—and his intended de-parture-^-for Sydney on 17th inst., was taken before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M,, at the Magistrate's Court to-day upon the serious charge of embezzling sums totalling £423 10s 9d, the property of his employers, Messrs. Ferguson and Osborn.

Pike intimated at once, through Mr. J. F- B. Stevenson, that he would plead guilty to the charge, and formal evidence was taken for use in the Supreme Court, to which accused was committed ■ for sentence. :

It was. stated by Michael Hanson, ledger-keeper at the Bank of Australasia, that Pike had opened a private account in October by a deposit of £68 on transfer from Levin. Since that date ho had deposited sums totalling £391 Us Bd, including six cheque deposits of sums ranging from 30s to £20, which cheques were the property of his employers.

Walter John Osborn, a director of tho firm of Ferguson and Osborn, said that Pike had been in its emplay at a wage of £4 10s per week from 4th October, 1920, until 20th February, when he was discharged. His modus operandi had been clever and he had covered his tracks well. In the majority of cases he had paid the_ cheques received into thb firm's banking account and had abstracted cash to correspond, which ho was able to do as he had charge of tho cash and other books. In each, case the accused had made out receipts, and handed them to the firms making payment,' taking the receipt forms from the back of the usual receipt-book.

. Detective Black said that when Pike was arrested he was in possession of B9S odd in money and a statement of his defalcations, which, he stated, he intended-to send back to the firm after he had reached Australia. He explained that he had become hea.vily involved in gambling, and had taken the money over the period of his employment to make up his debts. Accused had given every assistance in clearing up the books, otherwise the police would have been faced with a very difficult problem.