THEFTS ON RAILWAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 147, 18 December 1943, Page 8

THEFTS ON RAILWAY

A SALUTARY SENTENCE

. -P. A./ ■ ' AUCKLAND, December 17. | ; * Robert Eustace lan Stout, shunter, I aged 38, appeared in the Magistrate's . Court this morning on four charges of . "theft and having in this possession two ■* 'American shirts without satisfactorily | ".accounting for them. He pleaded ■' guilty. ". -Senior-Detective J. Walsh said that ' ihe accused had been employed by the '. Railway Department for 19 years and '""his average wages were £8 7s 5d week- -, ly. He pointed out the seriousness of "these offences, which had occurred -' ©ver' a number of months. The ac--cusea\had been detected by the police ..when removing two motor tyres from ' their place of concealment. When his -house was searched other goods were ' found. The theft of railway goods in "■ transit' had been particularly heavy; Between April 1, 1943, and December 12,' £2166 had been paid out by the . Kailway Department on 54 claims for .theft and-pillage in Auckland. He ' submitted - that it was necessary to ■ impose a salutary sentence to deter this Class of offence. Shunters were in a Elace of trust and such offences were ard to de.tect. ;, Counsel submitted that the accused i Jiad succumbed to temptation under 'the present abnormal conditions. • . Mi». J. H. Luxford, S.M., commented that it was paradoxical that the higher wage's men- received the more dishon/est they became. He agreed with Mr. -•Walsh that a salutary sentence was "jiecessary. He added that where there ;vwas a rampage of crime the Courts \ could not consider the individual. •') The accused was sentenced to six \ months' imprisonment with hard labour" on one charge and three '>lhanths on another, the terms to . be j 'cumulative*