MONEY IN SAFE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 8, 8 December 1936, Page 6

MONEY IN SAFE

DISAPPEARANCE FROM HOTEL. ACCUSED PLEADS GUILTY. The disappearance of a bundle of notes, estimated to total £l7O, from the safe of the Imperial Hotel, Palmerston North, two months ago, was explained in the Magistrate's Court, to-day, before Messrs D. J. Lovelock and W. G. Ashworth, J.P.'s, when Malcolm Victor Smith, aged 28, pleaded guilty to the theft, as a servant, of £l7O, the property of Edward Houlihan. A charge of the theft of £250 was withdrawn. Detective-Ser-geant Bickerdike conducted' the case lor the police. Evidence was given by Miss R. J. Bolland, a niece of the licensee of the Imperial Hotel (Mr Houlihan), that she was employed in the office there, and had charge of the money, vbich was kept in the safe. On October 7 there was a bundle of £5 notes in the safe. She had not counted the money for some days, and could not 6av exactly what amount was there, biit it was" not less than £175. That evening witness went to a dance, leaving the hotel immediately after dinner. Shortly after 6 p.m., with Mr a.nd Mrs Houlihan, she went upstairs, leaving no one in the office, where there was a ring of keys, including the safe key. The&3 were, later .taken out by MiHoulihan. Accused was employed as a porter at the hotel,, having been there sinco May 20 last. On the evening of October 7 lie was in the hallway near the office when witness and Mr and Mrs Houlihan left. Next day witness opened the safe and discovered that the bundle of notes had disappeared. She notified the licensee. Accused had no authority to touch the safe Detective Power gave evidence that he had interviewed accused, who had made a statement, which he said was true, but preferred not to sign it in the meantime, because he had not taken as much money as was alleged. Accused, in this statement, said that for three months he had been employed at the hotel as a porter. He had been suspected of selling beer and not accounting for the money. On October 7 he was selling in the private bar when he needed change and wont the office for it, according to the usual custom. There was no one there and, seeing the keys on the table., he decided to get the change himself. He opened the 6afe, saw a. bundle of £5 notes and, on the spur of the moment, took it. He locked the safe and pocketed the money, which he did not count. The same evening he told the licensee he was leaving, making the excuse that it wars due to suggestions about the sale of beer. He had been married eight months, and decided to take his wife for a holiday. They left by air for Blenheim and stayed at an hotel in Havelock. He retained £lO in change and gave the other money to the licensee to place in the safe. Counted out, it was £l5O. They then spent a holiday in the south, returning to Palmerston North by 'plane on November 7. There was "then practically no money left. He did not think there was more than £l7O in the bundle of notes he took from the hotel. He had not spent any of it in gambling or at the races. He had informed his wife that it was money he had won gambling and had saved. When he went to the hotel safe he did not know the monev was there, and had had no previous intention of stealing it. Accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the next session of the Supremo Court at Wellington for sentence. Bail was not sought.