THEFT CHARGES

Hokitika Guardian, 22 March 1933, Page 7

THEFT CHARGES

iEMI’LOI'EE STEALS SUM 01’ £SOO.

ENTERED BOGUS LOANS

AUCKLAND, March 20,

ITow an employee of an Auckland moneylencl.e r stole nearly £SOO from liis principal over a period ot. tlirwe years by entering bogus loans in ttv■ljooks anti converting th e money to bis own ufie was shown in the Police o ou i’t ; when Frederick Albert Tapson, aged 65, agent, appeared on charges m then and forgery.

Tapson, for whom Mr C. A. '-Sneddon appeared, was charged on three informations with stealing a, totar sum ot £496 IPs, belonging to John Wild, between September 23, 1930, and November 30, 1932. He was further charged with forging promissory not.e s for £l2 12s and £ls 15 s respectively, on July 25 and December 23.

John Wild, moneylender, said Tapson had been .employed by him for four years, and received as wage s half the profits of hi,* department. Tapson occupied one offic e and witness another. Witness had two accounts, both in his name, Tapson running one and witness the other. At the begining of February, 1933,. witness’ books were audited by a public accountant, the balance-sheet showing that everything was correct. “I was not satisfied with this and got an outsid e man to make a further investigation ot my books,” continued Wild. "When I 9a\v the result, I immediately complained to the police.

On tho night of February 13, I saw Tapson at- the detective office. I had my thre,e ledgers with mo. . In the presence of Detective Packman and myself, at my request, Tapson marked the accounts which were bogus. ' He marked every one and I found that they totalled £802,” Detective-Sergeant McHugh; Did Tapson .explahr'To 'you how he did it?— Yes. H e said he would write a cheque and fix up a promissory note for the amount of th 0 cheque, supposedly in the name of a man who worked in a bank or insurance office, or som e other good job. Then he would cash the cheque and use part of the money to pay interest on the bogus loan accounts.

■ Witness said that- he found fa at after paying the interest on the bogus ■accounts there.'was £697 18s lid which had been stolen.

Witness was handed a pile of, promissory notes. Alb these, he said, were fictitious. 'Letters had been sent out to persons mentioned in the pi'omiSsoi j notes. Some; men called to '- dispute th e matter, while the rest cjf thg fetters send t° '‘‘clients 1, were returned through the Dead Letter Office. Tapson pleaded guilty t 0 th'e 'three charges of theft, but pleaded not guilty to the two forgery charges.' He' was committed to th e Supreme Court for sentence on the three theft ■ charges and committed f°r trial on the charges of forgery. . ... . .