MANY LETTERS STOLEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19453, 8 October 1926, Page 12

MANY LETTERS STOLEN.

THEFTS FROM POSTAL BOXES.

OFFENCES BY JUNIOR CLERK.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFORM.

"I do not suppose such a series of thefts of letters has ever been committed in this country before," said Mr. F, K. Hunt, S.M., in placing on probation ii youth aged 17, who pleaded guilty in the Police Court yesterday to ten charges of stealing from private letter boxes at the chief post office, money, postal notes, stamps and cheques of a total value of £ls 9s Bd, the property of various firms in the city. A further charge of stealing a postal note for 10s, the property of tho Postmaster-General, was withdrawn. Senior-Detective Hammond said the thefts had been going on since early in July. Accused was employed as a junior clerk by a large firm of merchants and had to clear tho firm's pdnt office letter box hourly each day. He kept his eyes open for boxes the owners of which loft the keys in the locks. On finding a key he kept it and cleared the box whenever ho had an opportunity. He admitted operating on at, least 20 boxes. He also managed to manipulate \he screws holding the locks of some boxes. He turned the screws on the \ outside until the nuts fell off inside and the locks fell down inside the boxes. Some letters he reposted, some ho threw away, some he left on seats at the railway station, somo ho replaced in the boxes, some ho posted in pillar boxes, and others he destroyed. He had destroyed hundreds "of letters in all. The thefts traced to him involved £ls 9s Bd. Ho had cashed one small cheque. Postal notes t he had cashed at tobacconists' and small shops. He had caused an infinite amount of trouble to many business firms, and also to tho police and post office officials. Counsel for accused asked that he should be admitted to probation, stating that his downfall was probably caused in the first place by the temptation of finding keys left in boxes by careless persons. He came from a good home and had had a careful upbringing. He had been given u secondary school education. He had helped the police as much as possible. His parents wanted to place him on \ a farm at a distance from the city. Father Bradley was prepared to look after him, and he would be kept under close supervision. Mr. Hunt: It is either that or the Borstal Institute. Mr. W. J. Campbell, probation officer, said that but for his age he would have 90 hesitation in recommending that accused should be sent to the Borstal Institute, but there was a chance that he might reform. He suggested that ho should be placed...on probation for two years.

Mr. Hunt agreed to Mr. Campbell's suggestion. He said he would order the suppression of accused's name as it might help him in making a fresh start.