TRUST MONEYS STOLEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15489, 22 December 1913, Page 8

TRUST MONEYS STOLEN.

DEALINGS OF A SOLICITOR; M COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. % [BY telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION Palmerston North, Sunday, '.'s The man Oliver Noel Gillespie, of Feild. : " ing, a solicitor, appeared before the ma^ s ' trate, Mr. Poynton, yesterday morning | on eight different charges of having re .': 1 ceived sums and failing to account for - ; them, thereby committing theft. Ths ' I total involved was £10,136 lbVlOd. Air -1 H. R. Cooper appeared for accused, ' an j Sub-Inspector Marsack fur the police'. The ■'' amounts involved were£l7oo, trustees' estate James Vile: £270, Samuel C Andrews; £400, Edward Smith; £1475 17s, Charles D. Snow; £1991 ls yy Frank Jarry; £1000. John Macourt£2soo. George Dear; £800, James Ryan! . The whole of tho charges were taken on one set of depositions. Outlining the case, Sub-Inspector Mar sack stated that, accused, being a partner in the firm of Prior and Gillespie, soli c itors, Feilding, received moneys either for investment or distribution to'beneficiaries of the estate concerned. It was stated after accused went away to Sydney that he wrote, stating that he intended coming ■ back to give himself up. A couple of days ago he called at the police station when statements were read over to him' which would bo put in. ' William James Vile, farmer, of Aniti cave evidence that he vac a trustee in the estate of the late James Vile, ami placed in the hands of Messrs. Prior and ' Gillespie property to be sold. The pro. ' ceeds wore left :n the hands of the firm and when the estate was wound up tho monev was to come to the i>eneficiaries Witness called upon accused many times' and ascertained that certain legacies had been paid, but £1700, a portion of the estate, was not accounted for. About ' August. 16, witness .-ailed on accused, and asked the cause of delay. Gillespie said certain matters referred to a Wellington solicitor had not yet been returned. On September 22 witness and his solicitor went to the accused's office and found that he had disappeared. Gillespie, in a statement, after admitting each charge, said he desired to state that he had no) received or used any monevs for his own benefit. The moneys had been used to pay other creditors of" a trust account whose moneys had been lost by carelessness or neglect. "The hopeless state of muddle into which the books got seriously affected my health." he added. " Otherwise I feel sure I should not have left New Zealand as I did. Later, in Australia, I realised that the proper course was to come back and render mv \ best assistance to the official assiunoe in connection with my bankruptcy. I cams back entirely of my own accord and without any outside pressure."

The accused then pleaded guilty. Bail was refused, and he 'was committed,for sentence to Wellington, where he will appear on Tuesday.