£73 STOLEN

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20831, 15 June 1939, Page 8

£73 STOLEN

MANAGER’S LAPSE

FIRM’B MONEY USED MAGISTRATE EXTENDS PROBATION The theft of £69 3s 9d from the Regent Clothing Company, Limited, Auckland, and £4 is fid from his staff's thrift fund, making a total of £73 8s 3d, was admitted by the former manager of the Frankton branch of the company, Stuart Victor 'Lord, aged 33, tailor Mr W. H. Adams) when lie was charged with the offences in the Magistrate’s Court, Hamilton, to-day, before Mr S. L. Paterson. S.M. Lord was convicted on eight charges of theft between February and May of this year, and was admitted to probation for a period of two years. Tie was ordered to make restitution of £73 8s 3d. and to take out a prohibition order for the period of probation. In a statement, produced by Detective J. 'Hayes, accused admitted beginning to steal money from his firm in February. Four sums of £l3 were drawn from the Finn's bank to pay the monthly rent of the Frankton factory, but. accused did not. pay the landlord and converted the cash to his own use. Security Tax Not Paid Five oilier cheques were drawn at various times lor the payment of social security stamps but, again, the accused used the cash instead of purchasing the stamps. A further cheque for £5 10s, drawn for the purpose of paying a telephone account, was also used by Lord for peiVonal accounts. The remaining money was stolen from petty cash and the staff’s thrift fund. Detective Hayes said complaints were made early in May that Lord had often been intoxicated during business hours. His principal from Auckland visited the Frankton factory and dismissed Lord from the managership. It was then discovered that accounts which Lqrd had drawn cash to pay were still outstanding. The money had been drawn from the bank. Lord was, at the time, in receipt of a weekly salary of £5 10s as manager of the Frankton factory. A married man with one child, a girl of nine years, he had never previously been before the Court. System of the Firm Mr Adams said the system adopted by the Auckland office Avas to send a blank cheque to Lord, Avho filled it in for the amounts required to meet the firm’s commitments at the Frankton factory. Lord did not attempt to make a false declaration of the amounts required. “It was rather strange,” said Mr Adams, “that the thefts did not come to light before. The landlord had not been paid for four months, but he made no complaint." Counsel said Lord had been in illhealth and under medical attention. Further, he had to face several judgment summonses to account for old private debts. Unfortunately be Avas addicted to alcohol, and he stole money from his 'firm to pay his private debts.

"The accused Avas under physical and mental stress,” said Mr Adams, "and I suggest the benefits of probation might be extended to him.”