THEFT OF £10,000 IN MAIL

Taranaki Daily News, 10 June 1931, Page 5

THEFT OF £10,000 IN MAIL

FORMER OFFICIAL'S STORY SUBSTITUTE MAILBAG USED TRIP MADE TO SEE SYSTEM CANBERRA BAG UNGUARDED By Telegraph—Preee A»in.—Copyright. Rec. 10.30 p.m. Sydney, June 9. The manner in which the Canberra mailbag robbery of £lO,OOO was carried out on April 30 was told in the Police Court to-day by Percy Jacobs, a former employee of the post office and the chief police witness. His story involved Lancelot Lynch, aged 31, a postal assistant, Arthur Collins, aged 35, a salesman, and Joseph Ryan, aged 31, a motor driver. Each was charged with stealing, while a fourth man, James Caffrey, a labourer, aged 30, was charged with receiving. ' Jacobs explained that Lynch obtained and provided a substitute mailbag and tag and gave directions to Ryan where to intercept the mailbag containing the bank notes. Ryan made a special trip to Canberra in order to see how the bags were handled.

Later Ryan motored to Queanbeyan, and while the porter was changing the rail points in the early morning the mailbag with the money was abstracted and thrown over a fence to. a waiting motor-car. This was possible because the mails were temporarily unattended on the platform.