THEFT CHARGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 May 1938, Page 9

THEFT CHARGE

RAILWAY EMPLOYEE ADMITS GUILT. STRONG PLEA FOR LENIENCY. By Telegraph—Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, May 13. Attributing his client’s lapse to overstrain, counsel made a strong plea for leniency in the Magistrate’s Court today when Frederick John Charles Smith, railway employee, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft. The charge was that at Aylesbury he stole a mo-tor-car battery, valued at £6 10s, the property of the New Zealand railways. Smith was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within twelve months by Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M. Outlining the case, Detective-Ser-geant Holmes said that Smith had been employed with a number of other men to clear up debris after the Aylesbury train smash. The accused took the battery from the guard’s van and brought it to Christchurch. Smith frankly admitted to a detective that he had stolen it. It was the first occasion Smith had been in court for any reason, said counsel, and during a long period of service with the Railways Department he had earned the respect of all. He had a fine record and the only apparent reason for his lapse was that he had ,been slipping a little. His wife had not properly recovered from a serious illness, and recently his eldest son had been incapacitated through an accident at work. Smith had two children dependent on him. Lately he had been working a lot of overtime and was suffering from overstrain.