THEFT OF £716

Stratford Evening Post, Volume III, Issue 200, 13 November 1934, Page 5

THEFT OF £716

Power Board Funds ACCOUNTANT GAOLED COUNSEL’S PLEA FOR FAMILY Press Association —Copyright Auckland, November 12. The fact that the consequences of a man’s crime fall heavily upon his family cannot be taken into consideration in inflicting punishment, said Mr Justice Herdman at the Supreme Com-f-, this morning when sentencing Francis Joseph Cramp on four charges of (hetv from the Central Waikato Electric Power Board. The prisoner had pleaded guilty to the theft of £7IG while accountant of the board. On his behalf Mr McDianpid, of Hamilton, asked his Hon our seriously to consider granting probation. Cramp, lie said, had had an exemplary career, apart from this breach. He was a married man with three children, aged !), 11 and 13 years, at an age when they needed parental control. Any punishment inflicted would cause most suffering to the wife and family. PI is Honour: Tha t always happens. They should think of their wife and family before they steak Mr McDiarmid added that the consequences of the son’s action would aggravate the ill health of the prisoner’s mother. He understood that the probation officer’s report, and that of the police, were favourable to .the prisoner. Cramp, after the discovery of the thefts, had given every assistance’to the police and the officials of file board. If admitted to probation, counsel felt lie would retrieve his position and lake his place again as a respectable mid useful citizen.

I His Honour said that he always ! felt sorry for those unfortunate I>eo- ' plo who suffered in consequence of 1 a man’s misdeeds. In most of the j cases of this nature, it happened that ! the wife or members of the family i suffered. That, however, could not |be taken,into consideration in intlicti ing punishment. If he admitted the ! prisoner to probation, he would ho ! creating a very dangerms precedent, j There was very little to umtuiguish 1 ibis case from others. • His Honour then pointed out that i Cramp had been in a position of trust. | He was in receipt of a weekly wage j of £7 and in addition he had been i allowed from £l5O to £2OO a year j by his mother. this I good position for a (comparatively J young man, he had set to work to i rob the power boat'd. Taking that j into consideration, how could he (the I judge) accede to counsel’-, request. I The sentence would be made as light !■ ag, possible, because the report about j the prisoner was extremely favour[fable. j The sentence imposed was two years’ reformative detention.