SENTENCE PASSED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23482, 20 October 1939, Page 12

SENTENCE PASSED

SUPREME COURT CASES POSTMISTRESS PUNISHED TERM OF IMPRISONMENT _ A sentence of three months' imprisonment wos passed by Jlr. Justice Fair in the Supreme Court yesterday ton Norn Wallington (Mr. deal), who had pleaded guilty to the theft of £3OO from the Government. Mr. Cleal said liis client was a single woman, 51 years of age, who for the past 14 or 15 years had been postmistress at Raukokore, about 60 miles from Opotiki. Slio had come to be well known and much respected in tlio district. Her first act of dishonesty occurred four years ago, when the house containing the post office was burned down. In order to cover losses she falsified an account, and afterward continued to do so. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. V. R. Meredith, said that against the £HGO I stolen there were £2OO sureties which the department would recover. His Honor said it was very painful to see a woman of hitherto respectable character in such a position. No satisfactory explanation had been given of what she had done with the money or why she took it, and he saw no sufficient reason fov departing from the ordinary rule that imprisonment must bo imposed on persons in positions of trust for repeated offences over a considerable time. "This offence was due to, stupidity and ignorance rather than vice," said Mr. McCarthy on bohalf of William AVati Tito, aged 38, who had been committed for sentence for forgery. II is Honor placed the prisoner on probation for two years. The theft of £57 from a companion was admitted by Jack Paterson. aged 23 (Mr. C. A. Sneddon), Mr. Sneddon said Paterson had been an excellent worker and had committed this offence under the influence of drink. His Honor said he had some hesitation in granting probation/ but he would release Paterson on probation for three years, with the special condition that ho" must pay £lO toward the costs of the prosecution.