MANAGER’S DEFALCATIONS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 78, 16 March 1923, Page 2

MANAGER’S DEFALCATIONS.

A BAD CASE. Wellington, March 15., “This is one of the worst cases of which 1 have,had any experience,” said Mr Justice Chapman in the Supreme Court to-day when sentencing William (Henry F. Taylor, of Palmerston North on two charges of theft from the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. Accused was manager of the produce department and the defalcations extended over seven years. The amount involved was £4429. Counsel for accused said the prisoner found he had to follow the custom and shout for customers at the completion of a deal. Thon ho went in for betting on horse-racing. False cheques were drawn on goods which did not exist, and the audit failed to disclose it. Prisoner had a family of seven children. The judge said that if the whole truth were knowm he had little doubt prisoner had tfeen blackmailed by a bookmaker, and had been robbing all the time. So far neither the law nor (the police had succeeded in grappling with these people. The family circumstances could not be considered in mitigation. A sentence of four years’ imprisonment with hard labour was passed.