GAOL FOE SIX MONTHS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 133, 3 December 1930, Page 13

GAOL FOE SIX MONTHS

"LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY"

"This man has a very long criminal history. Ho is at present serving three months for vagrancy," saia SubInspector "Ward, to Mr. E. Page,_S.M., about Francis Halligau, aged 33, in the Magistrate's Court to-day. Halligan pleaded not guilty to stealing a cashbox and 10s in money, the property of Harold Blick, and guilty, to stealing a cheque, valued at £4 13s 4d, the property of Margaret M'Keown. On 28th October, Sub-Inspector Ward said, the accused called at the office of a Mr. Blick, public accountant, in Courtenay place, whero he was told by the typist, Miss Read, that Mr. Bliek was out. The accused went away and Miss Bead then went to the ladies' cloakroom for a minute, and when she returned sho found that the cash-box, which was just inside the door, was missing. Miss Read ran down the stairs, intending to' intercept the accused, but could not see him. Sho came back to ring up. the police, and was doing so when another tenant came down with the cash-box, which he had found in a lavatory upstairs. There was 10s missing from the cash-box. When he was arrested for another offence the accused was questioned about this one, but denied ever being near Mr. Blick's office. He was paraded for identification,, and was recognised by Miss Read. The accused then admitted that he had been there looking for work. After evidence had been called, Mr. J. Meltzer, who appeared for the' accused, sai,d that.though there_ urignt be a grave suspicion that Halligan took the cashrbox, ho contended that the evidence fell short of establishing the charge. Everything- pointed to the probability of the accused committing the offence, said the Magistrate, but. there was just a missing link in the chain of evidence, and this was the possibility of some one else going into the office while Miss Read was absent. The accused would have the benefit of this doubt, and the charge would bo dismissed. Dealing with the second charge, to which the accused had pleaded guilty, Sub-Inspector Ward said that a Miss M'Keown, a beauty specialist, had made out a cheque to the Sun Insurance Company, and. had put it in a sealed and addressed envelope and left it on a table near a window. Later a business firm'had rung her/up and said that an attempt had been made to cash the cheque, and sho then discovered that the envelope was missing. The accused had made another unsuccessful attempt to cash tho cheque, and had then paid it into tho Sun Insurance Company. When arrested he said that he had found the envelope in tho street. The Magistrate sentenced Halligan to six months' imprisonment with hard labour, the sentence to bo served at the expiration of tho accused's present term. . -