THEFT OF £11,431

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 35, 11 February 1933, Page 13

THEFT OF £11,431

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

UNDETECTED FOR YEARS

TWO MEN SENT; TO GAOL

CHRISTCHUECH, This Day. For the theft of £11,431, Clarence Alfred Palmer, aged 30, and "Walter Vernon Wiseman, aged 33, formerly employed by the Alliance Assurance Company, were each sentenced to four years' hard labour.

The thefts extended over several years.

Mr. Justice Eeed said it was extraordinary that, the thefts had not been discovered before. '

Mr. Lascelles, counsel for the prisoners, said it was unfortunate that in the office^there wa3 such free aeeess to the cash box. There was no audit of the cash box, the premium registers were not checked, and the two men fell into the clutches of the system when they were little more than youths. In 1926 they attempted to break the practice but were unable to do so. If there had been a check the thefts would have been discovered years ago. "The offences occurred mainly at a time when the world gave itself to pleasure; and they saw too much of race meetings and cars," said Mr. Lascelles, "and simply frittered the money away." "They had a salary of £300, which they increased to £1000," said his Honour.

. Counsel said there were no indications that the men were of the debased criminal type. "There would be some force to your argument if there/had been any need for them to go on with the thefts to hide what they had already taken, but there was not," said his Honour. "This is a shocking case." It was not his business, he said, to say anything concerning how the :bboks of the company were kept. It seemed extraordinary, however, that the thefts were not discovered before. It seemed only reasonable that responsible persons in the firm should be aware how their employees were spending their money. There was really no excuse for the prisoners.' If they had started young they could have pulled: up. They intended to lob their employers as long as they could. It was necessary to inflict a punishment which would- serve as , a deterrent to others who might be in the same position. .