WOMAN CHARGED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23838, 13 December 1940, Page 8

WOMAN CHARGED

£BOO THEFT ALLEGED A FORMER LAW CLERK COMMITTED FOR TRIAL A woman clerk, formerly employed in an Auckland solicitor's office, Phyllis Olivo Harnett, aged 31 (Mr. Beckerleg), appeared before Mr. •). Morling, S.m!, in the Police Court yesterday, charged with stealing £BOO, the property of Marv Cochrane Baird and another, on .December 6, 1939. Mary Cochrane Baird, single, typist, said she and her sister invested £'ooo on mortgage in October, 1939, dealing through accused, who was then a clerk in a solicitor's office. Witness and accused had several discussions about £BOO which witness and her sister had in safe deposit. \\ itness decided to place the money in the trust account of accused's employer, and arranged for accused to transfer the money, but witness did not advise the solicitor personally about it Solicitor's Evidence Witness produced the receipt given by accused for the money, and said that when accused left the solicitor's employ and she risked what steps she should take to uplift the £BOO, accused told her that if the money h-id been tampered with witness would bo covered by the fidelity fund of the Law Society. No part of the £BOO had been repaid. Hubert Urquhart, barrister and solicitor, said accused was employed in his office until July. Part of her duties was to issue receipts, and ior a considerable part of the office hours she was in the office alone. There was no record, he said, of £BOO having been put into his tru-t, account last December. He could find no I race of £Boo' ever Inning been received in his office, and accused never told him anything about such a sum. ''There were three receipts missing froui the end of the office receipt book," witness said, identifying one of these receipts as that for £BOO given to Mi ss Baird and signed by accused. He added (hat when he could find no trace of the receipts he reported the matter to his auditor. Interviews by Detectives Detective W. H. Slater said he interviewed accused in Mr. Beckerleg's office on September 12 in connection with another matter. At that time accused said there were no missing moneys to be cleared np. Detective-Sergeant J. Trethewey, who interviewed accused at her home on November 27, said she had nothing to say except that the plea would be notguilty. As he was leaving she said: "I am game when there is linlf a chance." When charged on December 5 she had nothing to say. Accused pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail was granted in self of £4OO and two sureties of £2OO each.