CHARGE AGAINST A CLERK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11580, 19 February 1901, Page 5

CHARGE AGAINST A CLERK.

[BY telegraph.—press association.] Wellington, Monday. In the Supreme Court Lionel Ferdinand Tegner was charged tL.it he did, on October 31, at Hunterville, steal £101 6s sd, the property of Her Majesty the Queen. Accused was a clerk in the employ .of the Public Works Department, and acted as accountant under G. P. -Cooke, engineer, who had a large body of co-operative workers under his control. Evidence was given by P. P. Webb, officer of the Audit Department, that an examination of accused's accounts showed a deficiency to the amount named in the indictment. Mi. Wilford, counsel for the defence, did not call evidence, but in his address to the jury, submitted that while there was a deficiency in the accounts, there was no evidence of criminal intent oil the part of accused, and that the shortage had occurred through a muddle, partly due to the enormous amount of work which accused had to perform. Mr. Justice Edwards said there had been a lax system of paying workers, but there was nothing in the acts of accused to show that he was a guilty man. After a retirement of 20 minutes, the jury brought in a verdict of not guilty.