Daily Casefile · Verdict
The Aldgate Ledger
≈ 9 min
Between January and June 1923, approximately £1,200 vanished from Harwick & Sons' operating accounts. The prosecution contends that Percival Crane systematically recorded fictitious supplier invoices — all from a company called 'Dalthorn Textiles' — and redirected the corresponding payments to a private account bearing his initials. Crane denies any involvement, claiming the invoices were authorised by the firm's late managing director, Edmund Harwick, who died in April. The jury must determine whether Crane embezzled the funds or whether the blame lies elsewhere.
Subject
Mr. Percival Crane, senior bookkeeper at Harwick & Sons Imports
Charged with Embezzlement of company funds
The scene
London, 1923. A textile import firm operating near the docks.
The witnesses
- Mr. Gerald Fitch — Junior bookkeeper at Harwick & Sons
- Dr. Abena Osei — Forensic document examiner retained by the prosecution
- Mrs. Edith Lattimer — Private secretary to the late Edmund Harwick
- Mr. Percival Crane — Defendant; senior bookkeeper
Play today’s Verdict.
This case first aired on July 9, 2026. A fresh verdict runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.