Theft of Trust Money.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 16 July 1915, Page 2

Theft of Trust Money.

A case of interest to the people of Huntly was heard at the Magistrates Court at Auckland orf\ Tuesday last, when John Percival Drew was charged with the theft of the sum of £7, entrusted to him for transmission to the Secretary of the Huntly Mines Disaster Relief Fund. Evidence as to the raising of the money was given by the chairman of the Drury Euchre Club. The Post Office Official who clearod the mail-box. at Drury gave evidence that he had no recollection of ever seeing in the box a bulky letter addressed to the secretary of the committee at Huntly. The secretary of the Huntly committee gave evidence that he had not received this or any other amount from

Drury. The accused went into the box and stated that he bad posted the money in notes at Drury in October, that he had received no acknowledgement and had not bothered. When the charge was made, he had not written to Huntly to know why the receipt had not come to hand, but he knew a man named Stfewart who said he had seen the amount acknowledged in the Huntly paper. Stewart had been written to, to state what was the date of the paper, but had not replied. * In cross examination, accused : admitted having been in finaitcial difficulties since about October last, consequent on losses in a business in Auckland. He didn’t know why he had not - registered the letter, and hadn’t t thought it worth while to make enquiries about the receipt. In summing up, His Worship. (Mr Frazer) said that he had to, decide whether accused had been, guilty of carelessness or theft. Taking all circumstances into consideration, including admissions made by the accused, he was of opinion that the accused, finding himself in serious financial difficulty, had yielded to temptation, and had appropriated the money to his own use. As the prisoner had previously borne a good character, he made the sentence as light as possible—• three months hard labour.