POSTAL OFFICER’S THEFT

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1930, Page 5

POSTAL OFFICER’S THEFT

' COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE.

AUCKLAND, April 3.

Dishonest practices on the part of a young man, in the Government employ were ventilated in the Police Court, before Mr Hunt, S.M. to-day, when William James Voitrekovsky aged 20 years pieaded guilty to three charges of theft, in that, as- a postal officer at St. Heliers, he stole sums of £5 each on August 3 and September 2, and £4 on October 18 last year. Evidence tyas. given by two deposi tors that they had paid the moneys into the Savings Bank at St. Heliers. The postmaster (Mr F. P. Cleary) stated that Voitrekovsky was employed from May 17 1926, until November 1929, to attend to the Savings Bank counter and. do general .office work Entries and signatures had been made byaccused in the books of deposiors, but there were no records of the moneys having been received in the office.

In a statement which accused made to a detective on March 20, he said he had been dismissed on November 7 for failing to account for moneys. He admitted destroyed depositors’ slips and convered the money to his own use. He said these were the onlymoneys he had converted while at the post office, other than amounts traced previously, and for which he had been placed on probation. When interviewed by the police on the date mentioned he said he was afraid to tell of three further thefts, as he did not want to cause his mother any worry.- He had spent the money mostly on clothes. His salary was £96 per annum.

Accused was committed .to the Suprenie' Court for sentence.