ROBBED THE POOR

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 8

ROBBED THE POOR

EX-COUNCILLOR GAOLED

William Padcfock, aged 32, a plumber’s mate, a former chairman of Bethnal Green Housing Committee, who came into prominence in connection with his tenancy of one of the flats at the Lenin Estate, London, pleaded guilty at Old Street Police Court to fraudulently converting to his own use and benefit two sums of £5 entrusted to him for safe custody. He was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment in the second division.

Detective Dawson said that Paddock was secretary, trustee, and everything else in connection with the Coventry Mutual Loan and Investment Club. No money at all had been paid out. “This is one of the worst cases of its kind in Bethnal Green for some time,” said the detective. “The people concerned are among the poorest, some of them with very young children.” Those people had hoped to receive money for their Christinas dinners, and had not bad •? farthing. Paddock had run the club lor two years, and told him (the officer) that he took some of the money the first year and borrowed to pay it back. When the second year again t. o taka money. People had been led to entrust Paddock with money on account of his position, as he was a member of thp Bethnal Green Borough Council at the time. Paddock had been out of work and had received money from the ghardians. Mr Clarke Hall: As the officer rightly says, this is a very bad case indeed. You have taken and used money entrusted to you by other people. They saved up their money in order to have a. happy Christmas with their families, and you have had it all. You must go to prison for three months on the first charge and two months on the second charge. They will be consecutive. That will be five months. 1 will make it in the second division qs it is your first offence.

The Lenin Estate, so-called because the Bethnal Green Borough Council, which has a Communist-Socialist majority, dedicated it as a memorial to the Bob'hovist revolutionary leader, cost £28,000. Paddock, while chairman of the housing committee, was, from among at least 1500 applicants, given, possession of one of the first of the flats and this caused considerable anger in the district. Later the Socialists and Communists on the council decided to dissociate themselves from Paddock and to deprive him of his post of Socialist Whip. This was followed by a statement in the “Workers’ Life,” the official organ of the Communist Party of Great Britain, that the local recommendation that Paddock “is expelled from the Communist Party for acting contrary, to the interests of the working class” had been endorsed.