AN EMBEZZLEMENT CASE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16168, 19 February 1913, Page 11

AN EMBEZZLEMENT CASE.

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. At tho Rangiora Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr T. A. B. Bailoy, S.M., and Mr E. R. Good, J.P., Frederick Wilton Bradshaw, on remand, was charged with stealing, between December 16,. 1910, and January 14, 1913, sums of money amounting in all to £7Bl 9s, the property of the Canterbury Seed Company. Chief Detective Bishop prosecuted, and Mr Van Asch appeared for accused. A. S. George, farmer, Amberley, etated that ho know accused as manager of tho Canterbury Seed Company at Rangiora. On January 6, 1912, he paid accused £4O 9s lid in cash in settlement of an account ho owed the company. Witness produced tho recoipt which accused gave him. James Young, farmer, Soften, stated that ho owed an account to tho Seed Company, and paid accused by choquo on tho Union Bank, Rangiora, £29 10s in settlement. Ho produced a receipt signed by accused. ' Clarence Rands, farmer, Springbank, stated that on December 31, 1912, he posted a cheque on the Bank of Now Zealand, Rangiora, for £2l 5s 8d to accused in payment of an account he owed tho Seed Company, and received a receipt, produced, on tho samo date. William Pavclka, farmer, Okuku, stated that on December' 17, 1912, ho paid accused an order for £2O on tho Now Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association, Rangiora,. in payment of an account ho owed the Seed Company, and received from accused a receipt, produced. Bert Heal, farmer, Rangiora, gave evidence that on July 24, 1912, he paid accused a cheque on the Bank of Now Zealand, Rangiora, for £2O in payment of an account ho owed the Seed Company, and received from him a receipt, nroduced. John Fitzgibbon, butcher, Rangiora, stated that in September, 1912, ho cashed a cheque for accused for £29 10s, drawn by James Young, and in December one for £2l os Bd, drawn by C. Rands. William Butters, cashier at tho Farmers' Co-operative A ssociationis Rangiora branch, stated that tho order produced drawn by William Pavelka was cashed on December 18 last year at tho Association's office. Witness did not know who presented it. Charles Howard Hewlett, manager at Christchurch for the Canterbury Seed Company, stated that accused, Bradsha.w, was .manager of company's Rangiora branch up to tho time of his arrest on February 3. Accused was authorised to receivo all moneys from customers with instructions to pay all Rangiora cheques and cash into the Bank of New Zealand, Rangiora, daily, and to send Christchurch cheques to tho head office at Christchurch. Witness had made an examination of accused's books and found that ho had received £7Bl 9s for which ho had not accounted to tho company. Witness found a book in accused's desk

marked "ledger balances." In it accused had kept a fairly correct account of what ho had misappropriated: Detective R. Ward stated that on February 3, 1913, he arrested the accused for theft from the Soed Company. Accused then said he thougnt his shortage was about £3OO. Accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to tho Supreme Court- for sentence. ■'