DRAMATIC TRIAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21763, 31 March 1934, Page 2 (Supplement)

DRAMATIC TRIAL

FIRE INSURANCE FRAUDS SALVAGE CHIEF IMPLICATED SCENE AT OLD BAILEY FOUR YEARS' IMPRISONMENT ■ Captain Brynmor Eric Miles, Chief Officer of the London Salvage Corps, who was implicated in the fire insurance frauds carried out in England by Leopold Harris, was sentenced by Mr. Justice Hawke at the Old Bailey last month following a trial which lasted the whole of a week. The maximum penalty for any of the offences of which ho was found guilty js two years' imprisonment, but the Judge passed an accumulative sentence. The Judge's summing-up lasted three and a half hours. The jury was absent for nearly two hours, and when they returned they were asked by the Clerk whether they were agreed. " We are," replied the foreman in a firm voice which could be heard all over the Court. " Do you find the prisoner, Brynmor Eric Miles, guilty or not guilty ?" There was silence in Court, and Miles, with his arms folded in front of him, waited to hear his fate. Jury Returns Verdict J The foreman then announced that the jury found Captain Miles guilty on tho following counts:—Conspiracy to contravene the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act; corruptly accepting £SOO from Harris; corruptly obtaining £IOOO bank guarantee from Harris; corruptly accepting £150; conspiracy to pervert the administration of justice. They found him not guilty on two counts of corruptly accepting two sums of £lO each from Harris^On the two counts charging Miles jvjth effecting a public .mischief, the ;jury were discharged from ,giving a veirclicft. Captain Miles remained .standing ia the same position in the dock as his counsel, Mr. Temple Morris, M.P., made a plea for leniency. " There are one or two observations I desire to make," said Mr. Morris, addressing the Judge. The first is Captain Miles' loss of position. I ask you to take that into consideration because .it is perfectly obvious now that the Salvage Corps is gone as far as Miles is concerned. His future is very difficult. As always happens in a downfall like this tho wife and two young children are involved. Of course that is not germane to the case." . , <.[' :■ Sir. Justice Hawke: It is the worst part of the duty that I have to perform. •:

Mr. Morris: I have been asked to say that there iB a mother who is a widow. Then I beg you to give full weight to Miles' excellent army record and the anxiety he must have had for the past three years and, of course,- the obvious punishment to a man in his position when the sentence which you shall think fit to put upon him has been served. '

Judge Pronounces Sentence Speaking in a voice so low that ho could hardly be heard Mr. Justice Hawke asked the prisoner Miles if he wished to say anything. " No, my lord," replied Mies. 4 " Everything has been done fo? yon that could have been done by man," said the Judge. " You have been convicted on evidence which was conclusive. The appeal that Mr. Morris has made to me on behalf of others is one which moves me deeply," but it is you who punish them, not I." Mr. Justice Hawke paused. His knuckles rapped on his desk. 1 "I have got to make up joy mind what I ought to do," he saicL " The maximum sentence which I can pass upon you-in regard to any of these counts is a sentence of two years' imprisonment with or without hard labour. But it is one of the worst cases of its kind I have ever heard of, and I feel bound to put into operation in . your case the provision of an Act of Parliament which enables xne to pass an accumulative sentence upon you. I feel I must send you to penal servitude." Prisoner Unmoved There was another pause. " I bear in mind the punishment you have brought upon yourself and have inflicted upon others," he added. " I feel I should be doing less than my duty if I did otherwise than send you to penal servitude for four years." Miles stood unmoved as he heard the sentence. JL warder stepped forward and touched him on the shoulder; then he was taken to the cells below. The Judge then addressed the jury. " You have had a very long spell of duty in this case," he said. ''You have liad to perform a duty which I am sure must have been dreadfully painful of you. just as my part is painful to me. I think in those circumstances I ought to recommend that you be exempt from service for seven years." The Judge rose, the jury filed out or their benches, and the court slowly emptied. , A full inquiry into the working of the London Salvage Corps is to be held immediately and a drastic overhaul is likely to be undertaken. Disclosures in recent trials have led'to a great deal of discussion in insurance circles as to the future of the corps, and the suggestion has been made more than once that consideration should be given to the abolition of the whole service. Work of Salvage Corps

Such a course, however, is extremely unlikely. The Salvage Corps, though n comparatively expensive institution, nas saved its employers, the fire insurance companies, enormous sums of money sums many times greater than the cost of the service. , Tim Salvage Corps was inaugurated in 1865. It is financed by subscriptions based on the premium incomes or tne insurance offices, and is largely mannea by ex-naval ratings.' Since it started operations the work has grown steadily. To-day, there are five stations in the London area, and practically every hre to which the Fire Brigade is called is also attended by the Salvage CorpsThe duty of the fireman is to locate the seat of the fire and to extinguish the outbreak as expeditiously as possible, without particular regard for tne contents of the building. The salvage man, on the other hand, has to protect insured property from fire ana "in many cases the damage by water is far greater than - tho damage y burning. The Salvage Corps, by hastily covering''stock with tarpaulins, . ins: protective structures and removing valuables while the fire is burning, materially reduces the total amount 01 When a fire has been-extinguished! Salvage Corps officers remain on w premises until the claim is settled an are thus responsible for the preven of pilfering, malicious damage or taking of evidence as to the cause o fire. They combine the duties ot pr«' tector of property and detective on half of the insurance world. , Weekly conferences at the SaM r.g Corps headquarters are attended bv representatives of the fire offices and tne Salvage Corps, when much valnab formation is exchanged which h*™ effect 011 premium rates and on matters. For these reasons, members of the insurance business convinced that a Salvage Corps ~ sential to London, and many vis •u its extension. Salvage Corps al exist in Liverpool and Glasgow.