"Same Old Story of Betting Fool”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 189, 31 October 1927, Page 7

"Same Old Story of Betting Fool”

SENTENCED ihefts from post office “It is the same old story of the fool floinfl to make big win and pay it a" back - The "aberration” of Frederick James a postal official, was summed up in these words by Mr. justice Reed to-day. (•ounsel for the prisoner who was . ing sentenced on five charges of theft and one of attempted theft, had ' la red that the only explanation of fail was aberration. 1 It is a difficult case,” said Mr. G. r , J, -inlay. “Heerdegen had just got his foot on the first rung of the ladder success in the Postal Department. There is nothing to* justify the thefts except that they xvere committed by virtue of mental aberration. It seems the trick of a fool or a lunatic, rather than that of a man intending to comJilt n crime. He almost ensured that Jhe offences would he discovered. jji, 4 Honour: He had been betting excessively xvith bookmakers and the totalisator. It is the same old story. Mr. Finlay: He believed liimself that he was under aberration and be was having treatment. He was opening up a prosperous career and now he will have to make a fresh break in a t>, w line. It was explained that nearly the whole of the money stolen would be repaid out of superannuation money due to Heerdegen. His Honour said he would take into consideration that the man had lost his position. He would be committed 12 months' reformative detention.