STEALING GOVERNMENT MONEY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10618, 13 March 1896, Page 2

STEALING GOVERNMENT MONEY.

(Pee United Pbess Association.)

Auckland, March 12.

At the criminal session of the Supreme Court yesterday Gavin M'lntyre Park, a middle-aged man, was charged that, on February 7, 1896, at Taupo, he stole £I*2 6s 4d, the said mouey beiug in his possession as an officer of the Government. Prisoner pleaded guilty. Mr M. M'Gregor, who appeared on behalf of the prisoner, said, that at the time the offence was committed prisoner was post and telegraph officer at Taupo. He bad been over 30 years in the employ of the Government. He had received a gratuity of £200 from the House of Representatives. Prisoner hud a wife and seven children. His Honor called Mr Duncan Camming, assistant inspector, who stated ia answer to questions that prisoner's c»sh was inspected twice a year. The effect of a conviction would bo that prisoner would forfeit £530 compensation allowance or a pension of £2 per week. Witness had reason to bslieve that in April last prisoner's cash was correct with outside assistance. Witness's visit to Taupo was a special surprise visit. Prisoner had been a troublesome officer and was disrated once. Prisoner was guaranteed for £800 by a civil service guarantee. Mr Tole said a statement had been made that the lock-up at Taupo, where the prisoner had beeu incarcerated, was a pigstye, and that it was swarming with vermin. The local constable would like to be called and explain. His Honor said it was wrong that any man should be put in custody in a place swarming with vermin. Someone was to blame, but it was not within his. jurisdiction. Constable Berry man went into tho box and said it was a lie of the deepest dye to say that the lock-up was in a filthy condition. It was as clean as the witness box he stood in. Witness had been st Taupo station four yesrs and a-half, and prisoner had been drinking excessively since witness had been stationed there. In reply to Mr Tole witness said prisoner had been in the habit of ill-using his wife and sho had applied for a prohibition order. His Honor said it was a difficult case to deal with for the Government was an actual gainer while prisoner was mined. Tbe con- . stable's evidence was given with a groat deal of ] biaa against accused. He concluded by saying ho had great difficulty in making up his mind and he would take time to consider the case. ! He ordered accused to bo brought before him I iv tho morning. To-diy nccusec. was brought j up on remaud. His Honor said he had given careful atteution to the caro and had come to the conclusion that on the evidence before him ho was justified in admitting prisoner to probation. No doubt there was a good deal of suspicion which he could taka no notice of, but so far as the evidence went it had been proved that the mijapproprifltion of money was since the month of November lar-t. Thp evidence was that there had been a surprise visit, and all was correot in April. In November the accounts were correct. Between November and February this £100 (according to evidence) had been misappropriated. In case 3of embezzlement he (his Honor) found that iv the first iustanco persons thought they would be nble to replace the mouey before they wero actually discovered. Iv prisoner's case there was a good foundation for suoh expectation, for he was entitled to £520 from the Government, which would more than cover his defalcations, aud he had put in an application to retire from the service upon this compensation. He1 (his Honor) took into account that prisoner's accounts were not falsified, tbat he made an immediate confession, and that owing to tho inaccuracy of his accounts the discovery could easily have been made of the defalcation. Another matter he took into consideration was that the Government were actual gainers, for prisoner's allowance of £525, or retiring psusiou, was forfeited. Ho hoped that the civil service guarantee fund would not be called ou to make up tho deficiency, Beeing that the prisoner was entitled to compensation, which would reimburse the Government. Ho (his Honor) also took into consideration that the prisoner was uttorly ruined by tho hoavy loss of the compensation which he was entitled to for Mb past services, and by his conviction for dishonesty. He thought the onds of justice would ba met by prisoner being admitted to probation for 12 months.