COMPANY MANAGER STEALS LARGE SUM

Chronicle (Levin), 7 November 1947, Page 4

COMPANY MANAGER STEALS LARGE SUM

' Press Association)

(Per

NEW FjLYxVLOL l'Jti, -NOV. 6. Pleading guilty to the theft of money totalling £2523 18s, the property of the Farmers' -Cooperative" Organisation Society of New Zealand, Ltd., John Alleman, company manager, Hawera, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence when he appeared before lustices of the Peace in the Hawera Court -today. The charge involved :hefts on divers dates between November 13, 1945, and August 29, 1947. Twenty-nine witnesses were called of whom all except two were holders of iccounts with the society. They were ill farmers. The police evidence dis"losed that Alleman, when interviewed, admitted * that, requiring a sum of money urgently, he had a cheque made out by a member of the office staff for £50 and made payable to a elient of the firm. He endorsed the cheque, signed the receipt with the name of the elient, and delcted from tlie statenieut being forwarded to the elient, the entry of an advance of £50. He then cashed the che.que and eonverted the money to his own use. He subsequently eonverted further sums of money, the property of the firm, the same praetice being used with over 90 cheques and the manipnlation of clients' accounts. Apart from some monev he had repaid. he said he had spent the money in betting transaetions and on horse racing.