THEFTS OF MAIL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22476, 21 July 1936, Page 14

THEFTS OF MAIL

CLERK SENTENCED , SERIES OF 15 CHARGES REFORMATIVE DETENTION JUDGE REFUSES PROBATION Fifteen charges, mostly concerning theft of mail matter from postal boxes, had been admitted by William Roger Gabriel Osborne East, unemployed clerk, aged 24, who was sentenced by Mr. Justice Fair in the Supreme Court yesterday. The charges comprised "one of theft, five of thefts of postal packets, four of attempted thefts of postal packets and five of breaking and entering and theft. Mr. Winter, who appeared for prisoner, told the Court that prisoner's father, who had been a. medical practitioner, had died leaving the prisoner and his mother in poor financial circumstances. East had had some secondary education at the Rotorua High School and at the Mount Albert Grammar School. He had had employment as'a clerk and in farm work, but had been unemployed since last April. The circumstances of the charges would seem to indicate that he had made up his mind to follow a career of crime, but it would be noticed that practically all the property taken had been recovered. The net gain of the offender had been very small indeed. Some Petty Offences

Mr. Winter said that in September last East broke into a house and obtained keys with which -Tie afterwards twice obtained entrance to premises in Newmarket. On the first occasion he siole a couple of pencils and on the second a tin of biscuits. That was an illustration of the petty nature of his offences. The greater part of his postal offences would not have been discovered had it not been for his own admission. Ib some cases when the letters r ' produced no result boneficial to him he reposted them. A farmer on the Hauraki Plains was willing to give him employment. His Honor said he could not admit to probation even a young man who committed a number of offences of this kind. Mr. Winter said prisoner had not - been in trouble before. His Honor said that breaking and entering by day was a serious offence and breaking and entering by night was a still more serious offence, while, taking letters or postal packets was a very serious offence because it could not be known what grief or loss might result. Term of Two Years • Mr. Winter asked His Honor, if he jvould not consider probation, to give prisoner a term of reformative detention at Waikeria.

On each of five charges of breaking and entering His Honor imposed a sentence of 12 months' reformative detention, these terms to be concurrent. For stealing postal packets from postal boxes he also received 12 months' reformative detention, this to be cumulative with the other 12 months. Other sentences for the other offences were made concurrent so that the actual term imposed was two years. His Honor said he would recommend that prisoner be sent to Waikeria or some other prison in the country where he would have a chance of rehabilitating himself.