SWINDLING THE STATE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13306, 16 February 1914, Page 6

SWINDLING THE STATE.

SENTENCE FOR CUSTOMS FRAUDS

(Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Mr Justico Denniston sentenced prisoners concerned ki the Customs fraud cases to-day. He said the prisoners had pleaded, guilty to a series of deliberate frauds , against the Customs and employers. They also admitted they were guiilty of a large number of similar frauds not included m the charges. These extended over a period of years, but the practice of destroying records every three years made it impossible to follow the frauds to the inception. It was quite clear that tho system by which the fr&uds became possible had been m existence many years. The amount actually lost bji the Customs was very large. The Court did not propose to make the prisoners scapegoats for anything that was past, but must inflict substantial sehtences. He. had endeavored to ascertain what extenuating circumstances existed m each case.

Addressing John McCormick, Customs clerk, the judge said that the frauds traced to him m conjunction with C. R. Smith, amounted to £4673. It appeared certain that the frauds went beyond threo years. John Hill, a Customs officer, liad been m service 17 years, and was responsible for misappropriations amounting to £2500 during the last three years. He was the owner of property of considerable value, the source of which was not explained.

McCormick and Hill w era sentenced to three years' imprisonment each. Ernest Walter Wood, responsible for the misappropriation of £2500 m three years, which he spent m self-indulgence, was sentenced to two years.

Tho other sentences were Jas. Camp- ' bell, Hugh Owen, and Francis Leigh, 18 months; C. R. Smith, 12 months. George Francis, who offended for a brief period only, under severe temptation, was ordered to come up for sentence when called on.

Judge Denniston added that he would recommend that Wood, Campbell, Owen, Lei eh, and Smith be sent to prison camp.