COUNTY CLERK IMPRISONED

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 April 1941, Page 12

COUNTY CLERK IMPRISONED

THEFT FROM COUNCIL,

[per press association.]

CHRISTCHURCH, April 24

Sentence of reformative detention for 12 months was imposed on Richard John Ledsham, aged 40, formerly county clerk to the Tawera County Council, in the Supreme Court by Mr Justic Northcroft. Ledsham, for whom Mr. W. R. Lascelles appeared, had pleaded guilty in the lower Court to a charge that, being a servant of the Tawera County Council, he stole £260 4/-, the property of the council. For Ledsham, Mr. Lascelles said that since the last war accused had held positions in an insurance office, then in the Post Office, then again in an insurance office, and finally with a wool firm, in every case with a rise in salary. He held a position as wool clerk at a salary of £5 a week for nine years. He married in 1936. Then ae took ill, and after a serious gastric ulcer operation early in 1938 took months to recover. For a time he nad lived with his wife’s people and had received the invalidity pension. Then he obtained the position of county clerk at Springfield, with a salary of £l5O a year and a free house. This was not a large salary for a man with medical and hospital bills amounting to £l3O. He tried co meet these by paying £2 a month c.o the doctors and £1 to the hospital: but his salary was not sufficient for this. He tried to supplement his income by working on the grader on off days, but his health did not stand up to this. This led to depression, and he started to drink. Ledsham was honorary secretary and organiser of all sorts of local activities, and was in fact “the popular secretary of the town,” and had been “everything from county secretary to Father Christmas at the Women’s Institute.” Tn trying to foot it with the crowd he drank too much. His sickness, his many social activities, his small salary, and liquor had led to the moral lapse of a man who in normal circumstances had no criminal proclivities at all.

His Honor said accused had been in a public position and in charge of public funds. It appeared that within a very short time of taking up his position he had made use of the opportunity to embezzle the funds entrusted to him. The Courts had decided that there were circumstances inappropriate for probation. In view of this, the nature of the plea by counsel made his Honor’s task difficult. Accused would be ordered to be detained for reformative-purposes for a period of 12 months.