A CHECK FOR CHEQUE THIEF

NZ Truth, Issue 1231, 4 July 1929, Page 5

A CHECK FOR CHEQUE THIEF

Story Too Thin, SaidSM

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) ... Cheques are not often found m waste-paper baskets, but that is ■ where Thomas Francis Mulherri ; said he found one for £7/16/3 on - the National Bank of New Zealand, ' .which cheque he was recently .^Ha'r.ged >^i& stealing. ; T \ ■ ; p'/^:^*^ 3HIEF-DETECTiVE CAMERON said V . that about the end of May a lessee of .a Post Office box had lost his key, and later, found that several' letters, two of which contained cheques; did not reach him. One cheque was drawn for about £400, while the other was the one involved m the present case. . . 'Mulhern's explanation: was that he was a stamp collector, and it was his custom, when at the ; Post Office to clear the mail, to look m ■'. the waste-paper basket for any used stamps. . .-" One evening- he found a cheque m the basket and took it to his room at the club, Svhere: he kept it for a few days before giving it to, a young fellow; to. .cash. ■. .. ■■'.'■ '/■'.■■ ■■■■■■• ■■ ;.'' ; Mr. C. J. L. "White, appearing on be-, half of. Mulhern, contended that the aecused/s story was true" and .that- it. was a case. of sudden temptation. - : He urged the magistrate to deal lightly with the accused, who had 'previously borne a good character. He produced a letter from Mulhern's .employers. . Mr.J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., did not agree with Mr. White that it v was a tjase.of sudden temptation, as accused had plenty of time between the 1 finding! of the cheque and its being cashed. < I f He remanded the accused for a few days m .order that he might have the probation officer's report. When accused appeared before Mr. Bartholomew a second time, Chief -detective Cameron said that, although at the previous hearing he had said that Mulhern had not been under suspicion before, he had since learned that this was not the case, as he had been suspected of theft on two occasions. Mr. Bartholomew remarked that the report of the probation officer was unfavorable, and, m spite of Mr. White's appeal for probation on account of it; being the first appearance of Mulhern m court, he decided that it was a case w^iere reformative treatment was necessary. " '.. ;1 "First offenders," he said, "are not always admitted to probation, because they may have, been carrying on a life of crime for a long time without being bowled out." . ' , . The Magistrate-thought that : accused's story was very thin, and-de-cided that lie -should undergo. 12 months' .reformative treatment, -.i : ' '