A CLERK’S DOWNFALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20701, 26 April 1929, Page 19

A CLERK’S DOWNFALL.

SCOTLAND YARD OFFICIAL. THEFT OF OVER £I7OO. WILD GAMBLING PLUNGES. Misappropriation and wild gambling plunges in a frenzied endeavour to pay f m °ney he had taken accounted for the downfaU of Edward Albert Rix, recently W °° WaS before a Lond °n court Por 27 years Rix held a responsible position as a clerk at Scotland Yard, and his future seemed most promising when the secret of his misdeeds suddenfy came out. The full disclosure of Rix’s conduct iTi 611 ! le f )leaded K'Jilty to steal* ing £1749 belonging to the Receiver of the Metropolitan Police. Prisoner, a slim* bui t, well dressed man, appeared in the dock wearing gold-rimmed spectacles. Counsel for the prosecution said that tne case was rendered somewhat worse because of Rix s service. For the past 10 years.he had held the responsible position ot being in charge of the register at .Scotland Yard, and his salary and bonus amounted bo £659 a year. The register deait with reports of accidents that came under the notice of the police, and there wore a very large number every dav. A member of the public who required extracts of the reports could obtain them at a charge of 5s each. Rix had charge of the money thus received, and from the amounts sent he had stolen £1749. It was discovered that during November, December, and January last the sums received aggregated £2201, but all Rix was able to account for was £451. Counsel said that in the bank account ot prisoner was the name of a bookmaker to whom the sum of £l5O had gone in the last two years, and the probability was that the money he had taken he had used lor gambling steadily since 1922 or 1923 Chief Detective Inspector Collins gave evidence that Rix had risen from a boy clerk. He had a large staff under him, and, as he was entrusted with all kinds of documents, he was regarded with the utmost respect by Scotland Yard. In "P’y s^ al ’ R,' x , , ' vas made a member oi the U.iJ.ii.., and, had. he carried on dutv until aged CO, he would have been entitled to a substantial pension. He lived very but had had some domestic trouble, and, being in debt, had used part of the money for the purpose of gambling. Defending counsel emphasised the good work Rix had done. Everything went well counsel pleaded, until Ids wife fell ill some six or seven years ago. She gave birth to twins, and, illness following, prisoner was tempted to take a little of the money receded. Then he betted to trv to make sufficient to pay it back, but this proved futile. Yet he went on plunging, and the bookmakers benefited, If he had retired on sick allowance he would have been entitled to a pension of £2OO a year and a gratuity of £SOO, and if he had gone on to 60. the retiring age. he would have received a pension of £3OO a year and a gratuity of £BOO. Counsel added that Rix had made a clean breast of the matter. Sir Robert Wallace, K.C., chairman, in passing sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment _in the second division, commented that it was not a case where a man had yielded to sudden temptation. But for the mitigating circumstances referred to by Chief Inspector Collins the sentence would have been one of penal servitude. Rix almost collapsed when he heard the decision, and wa s assisted from the dock by two warders.