THEFT FROM A LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18335, 27 February 1923, Page 4

THEFT FROM A LETTER.

POSTAL EMPLOYEE'S LAPSE.fe 4 _____ MAIL NOT DELIVERED; If* ! YOUTH PLEADS GUn^ilS YOUTH PLEADS GUILTY — : - sii^s A youth who until recently had be«« employed at the Manurewa post o fg appeared before Mr. J. W. , Poyuton S.M., in .the Police Conic yesterdsy' charged with having on December 9 etc>le£lfpß a registered postal packet containing I .and a postal note for 3s; having, con/' trary to his duty, secreted 50 postalpackets on December 9 and 11 : packets " December 13; and having on Decetnbe fSI 16 wilfully ' detained 190 postal packets^® l Accused, who was 17 years of age, pleaded i l 'V guilty " • v ]>$& Evidence regarding the offence* 'v * given by a postal official, who also Si A that accused was first employed ' 1921 as message boy and to deliver imKv his conduct being quite sjitisfactonT«i{ about _ the middle of %t year. BVo -■ " inquiries he had made, witness considered 1 ' the lapse wag due to the company tw>;' lad had kept. . In a statement to Detective Knight' "*! accused said he had become acquaint*}" • with a man and used to spend a lot (S ' i time in his 'company, and so got 7 Willi with his deliveries. One day he wag laU > and, as he wanted to play cricket hUf-'i placed about 60 circulars under a 'tap."!?:"'' I paulin in a shed at the back of the postfix 1 office. Another day he placed -tt'-lettefflp: I there. He also secreted some letters i» " ; 1 a room.. in a hall and took others hoa s ,"r 1 with him. He also opened a regial^j ; ;-££>: 1 letter, which he had received to deliver-'I and took the contents for the express pot' , I pose of paying this man £2, as accusal 1 was being pressed for payment. He i I the rest of the money which the l«ttw ? I "contained. . . >3 i Detective Knight said that accused had I been quite candid about the matter. H« '■ 1 had apparently hidden the letters became | he was too lazy to deliver them." «. £ • Accused was committed to the Supreme Ij Court for sentence. On the application of | Mr. Leaj-y, the magistrate made an ordersl prohibiting publication of accused's name, " "■ ■■ .—. l \