A CLERK'S DOWNFALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20235, 20 April 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

A CLERK'S DOWNFALL.

SCOTLAND YARD OFFICIAL.

THEFT OF OVER £I7OO

WILD GAMBLING PLUNGES

EIGHTEEN MONTHS IN PRISON. | Misappropriation, and wild gambling plunges in a frenzied endeavour to pav back tlie money ho had taken, accounted for the downfall of Edward Albert Rix, aged 43, who was before a London. Court recently. * For 27 years Rix held a responsible position as a clerk at Scotland Yard, and his futn. j seemed most promising when tho secret of his misdeeds suddenly came out. Tho full disclosure of Rix's conduct was made when he pleaded guilty to stealing £1749 belonging to the Receiver of tho Metropolitan Police. Prisoner, a slimbuilt, well-dressed man, appeared in tho dock wearing gold-rimmed spectacles. Counsel for tho prosecution said that the case was rendered somewhat worse bocause of Rix's service. For tho past ten years he had held the responsible position of being in charge of the register at Scotland Yard, and his salary and bonus amounted to £659 a year. Tho register dealt with reports of accidents that came under the notice of tho police, and there wore a very largo number every day. A member of tho public who required extracts of the reports could obtain them at a charge of 5s each. Rix had ehargo of tho money thus received, and from tho amounts sent ho had stolen £1749. It was" discovered that during November, December, arid January last the sums received aggregated £2201, but all Rix was able to account for was £451. Counsel said that in tho bank account of prisoner was tho name of a bookmaker to whom the sum of £l5O had gone in the last two years, and the probability was that the money he had taken he had used for gambling steadily since 1922 or 1923. Chief Detective Inspector Collins gave evidence that Rix had risen from a boy clerk. He had a largo staff under him,, and, as he was entrusted with all kinds of documents, he was regarded with tho utmost respect by Scotland Yard. In July last year Rix was mado a member of "the 0.8. E., and, had he carried on duty until aged 60, he would have been entitled to a substantial pension. He lived very modestly, but had had some domestic trouble, and, being in debt, had used part of tho money for the purpose of gambling. Defending counsel emphasised the good work Rix had done. Everything_ went well, counsel pleaded, until his wife fell ill some six or seven years ago. She gave birth to twins, and, illness following, prisoner was tempted to take a-littles of the money received. Then ho hetteel to try to make sufficient to pay it back, but this proved futile. Yet ho went on plunging, anel the bookmakers benefited. If he had retired on sick allowance ho would have been entitled to a pension of £2OO a year, and a gratuity of £SOO, and if he had gone on to 60. the retiring age, lie would have received a pension of £3OO a year and a gratuity of £BOO. Counsel added that PJx had" made a clean breast of the matter. Sir Robert Wallace, K.C., chairman, in passing sentence of 18 months' imprisonment in the second division, commented that it was not a case where a man had yielded to sudden temptation. But for the mitigating circumstances referred to by Chief Inspector Collins the sentence would have been ono of penal servitude. Rix almost collapsed when lie heard the decision, and was assisted from the dock by two warders.