SECRETARY’S THEFTS

Evening Star, Issue 22143, 25 September 1935, Page 11

SECRETARY’S THEFTS

NINE CHARGES PROBATION FOR TWO YEARS Defalcations totalling £149 8s Id were admitted by Ernest Wood Messent (56), secretary of the Strath Tnieri Agricultural and Pastoral Societv, in the Police Couth this morning. Nine charges of theft, covering a period between November 16 of last year and June 12 of this, were preferred against him. Messent was represented by Mr B. S. Irwin. The detailed charges were that Messent received from the following people sums of money on terms requiring him to account for them to the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and fraudulently omitted to do so, thereby committing theft:—J. S. Elliott, £1 ss; the secretary of the Middlemarch Bowling Club, £1 10s; the secretary of the Middlemarch Brass Band and others, £2B 14s; W. W. Garrett and others, £35 8s; D. Gallagher, £9 10s; M. A. Matheson, £2B 19s; R, M. Robertson and others, £22 16s; W. S. Williams and others, £l9 3s 7d; the secretary of the Catholic Church Committee, £2 2s 6d.

Chief-detective Young stated that Messent was a draper in business' at Middlemarch, of which district he Had been a resident for 30 years. _ He had l also acted as secretary for various associations and societies for some years, and had been acting for the A. and P. Society in a similar capacity. It was part of his duty to receive various sums and account for them to the treasurer of this society, and he had not done so. Apparently his business had been going back, and he had taken to drink, and he had converted the total mentioned to his own use. Messent spent a good deal of the money on drink and used the remainder in connection with his business. Finally, Imwever, he went to the Middlemarch police when the auditors were about to make an inspection of the books and asked to be locked up.- At this time it was obvious that he was suffering considerably from mental stress, and that he had been drinking to excess. The total amount involved in his defalcations was promptly paid by friends and relatives, and full restitution had therefore been made. Messent was a married man with one child. Hitherto lie had borne an unblemished character.

Mi* Irwin remarked that, apart from the sadness of seeing a mail" of Messent’s position where he was to-day, this case was one of the most peculiar in his experience. Messent had been 31 years in the district, and had become very popular there, so much so that he was asked to take positions in various bodies. He was not a bankrupt by any means. In fact, he had considerable assets, and the curious thing about his case was that it would have been 'quite a simple matter for him to have raised the necessary money on mortgage. However, he had been drinking recently, although this was not his usual habit, and got into a muddle. When lie went to the police at Middlemarch and told them that his affairs were mixed up the constable did not take him seriously, thinking that it was the driu)k that was speaking. _ Messent persisted, however, and said: “If you don’t lock me up I might do something foolish.” He promptly took out a prohibition order, and gave the auditors every assistance in clearing the matter up. As to the restitution, this money had been raised on his own assets, and a very much larger sum could have been secured if it wore necessary. Members of warehouse firms who had dealt with him for years had acted as bondsmen for him. Had Messent been in his normal senses he need uot have

appeared in court, as the shortage could have been made up immediately and the books would have been passed by the auditors. Generally speaking, he and his family were looked upon in the district as beyond reproach, and were highly esteemed there. Counsel suggested that, in view of the nature of the case and the fact that Messent had already suffered a great deal, probation might well be applied. It would appear, he said, that there was no chance of a repetition of the offence.As an indication of the feeling of the people of the district Messent had been asked to continue in two of his positions*.

Mr Bartholomew; There was no attempt at falsification of the books The Chief-detective: None whatever.

Mr Bartholomew said that the facts placed before the court, together with the probation officer’s report, showed that the accused was in his present position through giving way to drink. His books were in a very muddled state, but there tvas no attempt to cover tha defalcations. His Worship considered that he was justified, considering all the circumstances, in admitting the gemmed to probation for a period of. two years. . ’