ALLEGED THEFT

Southland Times, Issue 17734, 11 August 1917, Page 5

ALLEGED THEFT

CHARGE AGAINST EX-CIVIL SERVANT. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 10. In the Supreme Court an ex-Civil servant, Herbert Eatton Radcliffe, was charged with having on Cth September, 1916, stolen £l5O, and on a later date £35 Is lOd. the property of the New Zealand Government. Opening for the defence Mr Wilford pointed out accused’s good financial position, and claimed that when Radcliffe did the acts for which he was being tried he had no criminal intention, and owing to disease he was not capable of forming a criminal intention. Mr Justice Hosking, in summing up, said it had been suggested that disease had a considerable bearing upon the question of intent, but the medical evidence seemed to fall very far short of what the court had been led to expect from the opening address of counsel for the defence. The fact that accused was not in want of money made it more difficult to account for the act. The jury retired at 3.15 and at 8.10 reported a disagreement. His Honour ordered a new trial on Thursday next, and accused was released on bail.