Law Clerk Found Guilty Of Theft of £1630

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 44, 21 February 1945, Page 4

Law Clerk Found Guilty Of Theft of £1630

(Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Feb. 20. The trial of the law clerk and former solicitor, William Henry Mervyu Adams, aged 48, on 26 charges of failing to account or theft was concluded before Mr. Justice Fair. The Crown alleged that between May, 1942, and June, 1944, accused had defrauded the firm that employed him, Russell, McVeagh and Co., of sums totalling £1630. After an hour’s retirement the jury found accused guilty on all 13 major counts of theft as a servant or failure to account for trust funds, and he was remanded for sentence.

•Summing up, his Honour explained that 13 of the 26 counts were alternatives. The law regarded the theft of money from an employer as more serious than from a stranger. The fact that a person who took money to which he was not entitled and intended to return it later was no defence at all. The evidence was uncoutradicted that accused did as a servant of Russell, McVeagh and Co. steal money the firm used for meeting legal expenses. As to the further charges tho question was whether accused had any honest belief that he was entitled to take this as a set-off against some claim he had against the lirni. To its verdict the jury added a recommendation that in future all withdrawals from the bank in deceased persons’ estates be paid immediate!v into a trust account under the signature of two responsible persons. The foreman said their idea was that no one man should have access to a deceased estate. His honour said the suggestion seemed a practical one and there should be no difficutly in arranging that transfers from a deceased estate in a savings bank should be made to a trust account. Tho recommendation would be forwarded to the proper Department for consideration, liis Honour said ho agreed with tho verdict.