A CLERK’S LAPSE

Evening Star, Issue 24285, 28 August 1942, Page 2

A CLERK’S LAPSE

SOCIAL SECURITY STAMPS USED TWICE ON WAGES SHEETS "William Francis Crooke. a widower, aged 06. employed by a loeal body, appeared before Mr H. A\ . Bundle, S.M.. in the Police Court this morning charged with a breach of the Social Security Act. Employed as a temporary clerk, he had affixed used social security stamps to wages sheets, diverting the money deducted from the wages to other purposes. The amount involved was £4 9s. Sergeant Conway said Crooke s task was to prepare wages sheets for men working under scheme 13, which lie then submitted to the National Service Department for examination and payment of a subsidy to the locj\l body concerned. In April last 20 wages sheets had been submitted, but a department clerk became suspicious of_ the stamps on the sheets, some of which bore extraneous markings. On two occasions defendant was interviewed, and on the latter occasion said he had purchased £9 worth of social security stamps in 1941, which were lost. Later ho found them in a telegram in some old working trousers. They were in a bad state. Later inquiries disclosed that the stamps on the sheets submitted had previously been cancelled. A number of old social security documents belonging to the local body concerned could not bo located, said Sergeant Conway, and it was possible that was where the stamps on the present sheets came from. “ There are a number of suspicious sheets totalling £2O 11s, which have been found,” he added. Defendant had been before the court previously. Obviously he was dishonest. Counsel for Crooke had just handed him £4 9s to make restitution.

Mr C. J. L. White, representing defendant, said there was no suggestion of dishonesty until quite recently. Counsel detailed Crooke’s rehabilitation since his last offence and referred to his illness, Crooke being a cripple. In October, 1941, Crooke had purchased £9 worth of stamps and did lose them, counsel said. He was out of pocket to this amount, and adopted this method to retrieve the loss.

Crooke was fined £lO, in default three weeks’ imprisonment, the warrant not to issue providing he paid £5 within 14 days and the balance of the fine by the end of the month.