The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-29 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.—(This Day.)

OLD COURT.
(Before the Lord Chief Baron and Mr. Justice Erle.)
• ROBSON'S CASE.

The case of W. J. Robson, charged with defrauding
the Crystal Palace Company, is axed for hearing to•
morrow morning.

John Pratt, a fashionably-dressed youth, 17 years of
age, surrendered to his bail, and pleaded guilty to an
indictment charging him with having embezzled 981.105.,
the property of the Bank of Australia, his employers.
Mr. Bodkin said he was instructed on the part of
the prosecution to recommend the prisoner to mercy,
because he bad conducted himself well in their employ
until he was led away by the blandishments of some
females of notorious character with whom he became
accidentally acquainted. The facts of the case were these :
the authorities of the bank sent the prisoner to Somerset
House with 981. 108. in notes and gold to purchase stamps,
but instead of doing so he defrauded the bank of the
amount. One of the notes entrusted to him had been
found, and the prisoner had rendered every assistance to
the bank in recovering it.

Mr. Robinson, who appeared with Mr. Sleigh, on
behalf of the prisoner, said he had been for some
time in the service of the bank. On the day on which
the fraud took place the prisoner was entrusted with a
check to get cashed, and for it he obtained the money
and returned it to his employers. He was then sent to
Somerset House with 931. 10s. for stamps. He was too
late to get the stamps, and on his return to the bank
the cashier had left, and he retained the money in his pos-
session for safe custody. It unfortunately happened
that he was tempted to visit a certain house in the City-
road, where no doubt he was robbed of the money, 701.
of which had been since restored ; and although it had
been said that he went with the proprietor of the brothel
to the Bank of England and changed a 201. note, he be-
lieved there would be some difficulty in proving that
fact, because the name of the keeper of the house was
the only one that appeared on the back of the note. He
trusted that, under the circumstances, the Court would
deal leniently with the prisoner.

Mr. Justice Erie said he would defer sentence until
to•morrow.

FRAUD.—William Neavy, 25 years of age, clerk, re-
manded from the last sessions, was indicted for fraud.
There erv.e three uuunts is indictment, end the autos
charged with being defrauded were Bs. Bd,, U., and
lls. 3d.

Mr. Sergeant Ballantine and Mr. Salter were counsel
for the prosecution ; Mr. Sergeant Parry, Mr. Ribton,
and Mr. Lilley for the prizoner. .

It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner was
in the employ of Messrs. "Walker and Co., iron mann-
facturers and contractors, carrying on an extensive busi-
ness at Milwall, Poplar. They employed a large number
of clerks, and the prisoner had been between five 'and
six years in their service as one of their confidential
clerks, at a salary of 2/. per week. In 1854 he left the
prosecutors' employment, but returned again in 1855,
and remained until June, 1856, when the charges
brought against him were discovered. They consisted
of his making false entries in the wages book, and the
purchase of old metal, putting the difference into his
own pocket.

The defence was that these charges were trumped up
against the prisoner to attach a stigma to him when he
came to give evidence in favour of a person named
Fassey, who had a claim of 7,000/. against the prose.
cutor, and who was to be indicted for fraud in certain

timber transactions between him and the prosecutor,
and not for furtherence of the ends of public justice.

. ..
Several highly respectable individuals gave the pri-
soner an excellent character for his honesty and general
integrity.
The verdict had not been returned when we went to
press.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.)