CHARGES OF THEFT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 245, 13 September 1940, Page 10

CHARGES OF THEFT.

MAN FOR SENTENCE.

Charges of theft wore preferred against Ernest William Smith, petrol station manager, in the Magistrate’s Court, yesterday, concerning amounts to have been taken in the course oi business from Mrs D. E. Bowden, owner of the service station.. Accused was charged on 11 counts with the thefts of sums totalling £546 3s Od between July 1, 1938, and August 28, 1940. Messrs J. T. Bosworth and W. G. Ashworth, J.P.’s, were on the Bench. Detective O'. Power prosecuted and Mr A. M. Onglcy appeared lor accused, who pleaded guilty and was committed for sentence to the Supreme Court at Palmerston North. Bail was allowed in £IOO and a surety of £IOO. Mr Onglcy asked for the suppression of accused’s name till lie came up lor sentence, but this the Bench refused. Evidence was given by customers of dealings with the service station. W. C. Harrington, accountant, who was employed to audit ‘the books, said that an examination made by him after March showed an increase in the number of sundry debtors compared with the previous year. There was an amount of £BOO in outstanding accounts. He made some inquiries into this and as a result had a meeting with accused and Mr Chrystall, the accountant of the firm. This occurred on May 6. Accused was very distracted and made a voluntary confession, also stating that the amount involved was about £4OO. Witnesses’s conclusion when he had finished an examination of the position was that the misappropriations totalled £497 8s Id, and accused agreed that this was the true total of the misappropriations up to the end of March. After this a readjustment was made in the terms of tlio employment of accused. It was decided to, give him another chance pro viding lie paid £2 a week towards the reduction of the amount he had misappropriated. He was to receive £3 a week in cash for himself. Another stipulation was that he was to leave the hotel where ho was staying.

To Mr Ongley, witness said that temporary employees came to relieve accused at mealtimes. He had not seen the slips and books produced by ' Mr Ongley before. According to these it would appear that accused was owed £250 16s 7d for back commissions in April, 1937. The balance-sheet had been “tagged” in 1933 because of irregularities in the petrol sale sheets. He could not recollect that the firm paid accused £4 6s 8d a week for back commission, and it appeared from the book and slips that £l5O 6s 7d for commission owing was wiped off. It would appear that this indebtedness was cancelled in January, 1939. Detective G. J. Long reported interviewing accused, who admitted misappropriating the firm’s money. In July, 1938, accused said "that he took a trip round the Islands, and when 'he came Vick lie committed the theft of small amounts of cash from the firm. The accounts for the different customers were made out by Mr Chrystall and sent to accused to post to the customers. When an account was naid to him (accused) he would not credit the customer with the amount, and when next month an “account rendered” was issued lie would alter the accounts. Accused said ho had spent the money he had stolen, and had been drinking heavily.