THEFT AT TAKAKA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 11 December 1940, Page 6

THEFT AT TAKAKA

ACCUSED PLEADS GUILTY MAGISTRATE’S COURT PROCEEDINGS FORMER SECRETARY PLACED ON ON PROBATION In the Takaka Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, before Mr T. E. Maunsell, ■ S.M., Edwin William Carpenter, employed by the Public Works Department as an electrician on the Cobb River hydro-electric scheme. was; charged with the theft of a sum of £l7, i the property of Percival Richard Wood and another as trustees of the Takaka Boy Scout Troop Committee. The accused pleaded guilty and elected to be dealt with summarily. POLICE evidence Constable A. C. Strawbridge, Takaka, said the facts of the case were that the accused u/> to January. 1940, had been secretary, treasurer and cub master of the Takaka Boy Scout Committee. From July. 1939. to December. 1939. he had collected money from cubs for uniforms which were supplied to the boys shortly after the money was collected. The monies collected by the accused on behalf of the committee had not been banked to the credit of the committee, the arrangement being that the accused purchase the uniforms after the money had been collected and pay for them. The uniforms were supplied to the boys j who had paid for them, but the accused had failed to pay Hallenstein Bros., of Nelson, and a sum of £6 7s 9d was left owing to this firm. The committee had now paid this account, but the accused had not paid the committee. SCOUT JAMBOREE FUND On or about 29th December. 1939. Constable Strawbridge continued, the accused drew from the Boy Scout Committee’s Post Office Savings Bank account the sum of £l6 16s. Percival Richard Wood, the othhr trustee of the account, also signed the withdrawal slip for this amount, which-was to have been paid to several Boy Scouts who had previously deposited £1 each to enable them to attend the jamboree at Wellington. Owing to the war, the jamboree had fallen through and it had therefore been decided to make a refund of 16s in the £ to the boys who had made deposits. Accused had paid seme of the money to the boys in question. but £lO 2s 3d of the amount had not been paid. On 25th April, 1940. the accused had given a quantity of gold to Mr J. A. Lockhart, a member of the Boy Scout Committee, to reduce his debt to the committee. The gold had brought £lO 4s 9d when sold, so that a sum of £6 15s 3d had not yet been repaid. ACCUSED’S EXPLAN AIION The accused had been quite open and straightforward about the matter when interviewed by Constable Strawbridge. it was stated, and had had no previous convictions. His explanation for converting the monies to his own use was that he had been hard pressed for money, and also owing to his having mixed committee monies with his own. He had a motor-car on hire-purchase on which he had paid about £l7O, and he wanted to meet the instalments to save losing the car and the amount he had paid on it. Asked by the magistrate if he had anything to say, the accused stated that he had had the uniforms put on to his own private account. The committee had not authorised him to purchase the uniforms, but he had taken it upon himself to do so. He had paid the money collected into his account at the bank. However, the money had been used to reduce his overdraft so that when it came to paying the account there was insufficient money to meet it. The committee had held itself morally responsible for the account and had paid it. and he had since done what he could to refund the money to the committee. The magistrate commented that it was a very despicable action for a man in a position of trust to steal monies as the accused had done. Carpenter was convicted and admitted to probation for twelve months, a special condition being that he make restitution of the stolen money in instalments spread over three months fnm Ist February next.