SENTENCE ON ORGANIST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21627, 23 April 1932, Page 14

SENTENCE ON ORGANIST

STORY OF FOOTBALL' COUPON. Organist and choirmaster at Tgrrant Gunville Parish Church, near Blandford, Dorset, Leslie Edward Thorne, aged 23, ‘was lately charged at Blandford with erasing the address from an envelope bearing a three-halfpenny stamp with intent to" use the stamped envelope again for postal purposes. Evidence showed that ihorne sent or had sent to himself an unsealed envelope with his name and address in pencil. A sorting clerk became suspicious, and a secret mark was put on the envelope by an overseer. It was delivered to Thorne on December 19, and the next day it was identified addressed in ink to a Birmingham bookmaker. The letter had the previous postmark, and was again marked and delivered. Subsequently the contents were found to be a football. betting coupon correctly forecasting the results of matches on December 19 Thorne was alleged to have admitted in an interview with a postal official that he filled in the form after hearing the results on the wireless and posted them. He was sentenced to four months' imprisonment. Notice of appeal was given.