THEFT BY ACCOUNTANT

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 77, 1 April 1931, Page 12

THEFT BY ACCOUNTANT

By an involved system of manipulating his books over a period of three years Albeit Kellaway, accountant, turned a sum of £1120 belonging to his employers, the Australian Mutual Provident Society, to his own use. Kellaway, who pleaded guilty to a charge of theft before Mr. E. Page, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court to-day and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, said in Ms statement to the police that he had been in the employ of the society for the past 21 years. In 1921 he got into financial difficulties, and was threatened by a money-lender with bankruptcy unless he could find money. Counsel for the accused, Mr. D. Perry, made application for renewal ot bail, and this was not opposed by SubInspector Ward, who said that the accused had known he had been found out several weeks before he was arrested, but had made no attempt to escape. Mr. Page said, however, that he regarded Kellaway's position as somewhat similar to that of a man who had been convicted by a jury and remanded for sentence. The amount of money involved was very large, and he would have to refuse bail. William E. Lerwell, clerk employed by the A.M.P. Society, said that from 192,7 until Bth December, 1928, he was cashier in the society's industrial department. The accused was accountant and chief clerk in that department. While witness was employed under Kellaway lie cashed a number \of cheques for him. Later he banked the cheques to the credit of the society's account. The accused said he had drawn the cheques for salaries. Mr. Charlton D. Morpeth, one of the auditors of the society, said that on 4th and sth March, when the books were audited, it was shown that between 4th October, 1927, and 30th October, 1930, a number of cheques had been cashed and £1120 had not been accounted for. Witness'then", gave a detailed account of the system the accused had used to manipulate his account books to cover up this theft. Detective M'Clennan said that -when he was interviewed the accused admitted the theft, and said he would make a clean breast of it. He also offered to help to clear the matter up by showing exactly where the manipulation had been made in the accounts.

Two hundred and eight births, ninetyseven deaths, and one hundred . and fifty-three marriages were registered in Wellington during* March. Twentynine couples /were married by the Registrar. The total .figures for thequarter culling on 31st March are:-— Births s(i<S, cloafhs. 274, marriages 37.1, Hud marriages by the Registrar 96.