THEFT OF £l700

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1947, Page 3

THEFT OF £l700

REFORMAT IVE D ETENTTON FOR THREE YEARS

(P.A.) HAMILTON, February 19. Sentence of three years’ reformative detention on the second count and a year’s detention on the thiid count, the sentences to be concurrent, were imposed on Paul Heber Linehan, aged 33, a drapery manager, of Hamilton, when he appeared for sentence before Mr. Justice Smith, in the Supreme Court at Hamilton. Yesterday a jury found Linehan not guilty on the first count of the theft of £1785, but guilty on two alternative counts of the theft of £l6lO from Hooker and Kingston, Ltd., and £175 from Myrtle Hooker and her daughter. His Honor said: “I think there can be no doubt that you took this money because you knew that the £l6lO had been collected by Hooker and by yourself in the course of carrying out a dishonest scheme to evade income tax for the benefit of the managing director. You thought, therefore, . that Hooker would not risk the publicity of criminal or civil proceedings. Your action partook of the nature of blackmail. You proved to be mistaken in your estimate of Hooker. He did not submit to pressure of circumstances and he has now to meet the full demand of the Income Tax Department. The main conviction against you is that of stealing moneys of the company of which you were the principal servant. The dishonest scheme for evading taxation is no excuse for the theft.”