FORGED CHEQUES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 169, 18 July 1924, Page 7

FORGED CHEQUES.

SENSATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS. ARSON CHARGE AT WHANGAREI. (By Teiegrapu.—Special to "Star.") WHANGAREI, Thursday. Business firms in Whangarei were victimised on July 5 by a clever individual, a Maori, managing to secure quantities of goods and incidentally a fairly large ! amount of cash by the simple means of ' writing the names of two prominent citizens to cheques on the Bank of New Zealand, which cheques were negotiated and resulted in a lucrative harvest in money returned, none of which has yet been recovered. A total of £255 14/ was passed on j Whangarei business people in cheques by the astute Maori, and his actual known net gain was £170 17/6. Investigation by the Police Department in Whangarei, with Detective De Norville as chief sleuth, resulted in William Kaire facing the Court to-day, with no less than nine indictable charges to answer. Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., was on the Bench. Detective De Norville conducted the prosecution, and Mr. E. O. Stout appeared for the prisoner. Outlining the case, Detective De Norville said that some time on the night of July 4, Whitelaw's store at Kamo was burnt down. After the alarm a few things were saved in the front of the building, but a witness would be pro- j duced to show that the back door of the I building was found open. The same I day William Kaire, the accused, cashed a number of cheques for various sums of money in Whangarei. These cheques had been traced to Whitelaw's store, which had been burnt down, and it would be proved that the cheque book from which they were taken was placed in the office at the back of the building, where it was impossible to enter on account of the building being in flames. The first charge taken was that accused, William Kaire, did, at Kamo, on or about the 4th of July, break and enter the store of Robert Whitelaw, and steal therefrom a cheque book value £2, same being the property of the said Robert Whitelaw. Evidence was given as to the robbery, and of cheques for £22 15/, £79 10/, £24 18/, £35 18/, £45 15/ and £25 15/ having been cashed by the accused, all these cheques bearing numbers corresponding with thoso in Mr. Robert Whitelaw's cheque book. On these charges accueed, who pleaded not guilty, was formally committed for trial at Auckland. Arson Charge Follows. William Kaire was then charged that, on or about July 5, at Kamo, he did wilfully set fire to a general store, the property of Robert Whitelaw, thereby committing arson. Robert Whitelaw, storekeeper, said he closed the store at 10 pjn. on the evening of July 4, and was awakened in the early hours of the following morning by an alarm of fire. In answer to Mr. Stout, witness said that there wore no heaters in the office, and the electric light had been switched off at the meter. There had not been any stove or other fire in the store preceding the outbreak. Evidence was <nven by other witnesses, as at the preliminary hearing. Constable Boasley stated that, at the request of accused, he on June 15 supplied him when in custody with paper and an envelope to write to his wife. In this letter was an injunction that she was to be sure and tell the detective that he (Kaire) had slept at home with her on Friday night, July 4. In these letters, which were of an emotional character, the accused to all intents practically admitted his guilt. Detective de Norville gave evidence that after arrest accused made a full statement of the amount and number of cheques he had forged. On behalf of accused, counsel pleaded not guilty, and on the arson charge accused was also committed for trial at Auckland. Forgery Charges. Following upon his committal for trial on charges of breaking and entering, and a further charge of arson, William Kaire was charged with seven counts of forgery of cheques. Kaire was charged that on July 5, 1924, he did forge the name of Angus Finlayson to a certain document, to wit, a cheque, drawn on the Bank of New Zealand, Whangarei, and did cause one David McKinley to act upon the same as if it were genuine. David McKinley, clerk at the Farmers' Union Trading Company, said that accused owed the firm £46 4/, and had presented a cheque for £79 15/, receiving the balance in cash. The cheque had been returned, marked "Signature unlike." Angus Finlayson, farmer, gave evidence that the eignature on the aforementioned cheque was not his, or any one of his sons. In reply to Mr. Stout, who appeared for accused, Mr. Finlayson said the signature was not unlike his own. Douglas Hamilton Smeal gave evidence that accused had called at R. G. Hosking's shop on July 7, and had, bought goods to the value of £4 5/2, tendering a cheque for £22 18/, signed by A. R. Crane, in payment, as well as for ' an old account of £2 7/. Accused was given £10 7/ change. The cheque was returned through the bank. Arthur Robert Crane said he knew and had employed accused. The signature on the cheque was not his, or anything like it. Ho thought that the person who signed the cheque was trying to imitate his son's signature. j Other charges against Kaire were: I Goods valued at £7 14/3, and change of cheque for £25 15/, from John David Gardner, manager for Wallace and Co., , Whangarei; goods to value of £7 6/3 from Walter A. Gray, of Gray Bros., drapers, Whangarei, and change of cheque for £22 18/; Frederick Simpson, grocer, Whangarei, goods to value of £8 5/, and chan;ro for cheque for £35 18/; Herbert Edward Geissler, uddler, Whangarei, who sold goods valued at £17 11/, and gave change out of cheque for £45 15/, tendered in payment; William Luther Hopewell, accountant for Timewell and King, butchers, Whangarei, stated that accused had purchased goods valued at £1 5/, and had tendered a cheque for £22 15/, receiving the change. In each, of the above cases, either the name of A. R. Crane or A. Finlayson was forged by the accused as a signature to the cheque. Detective de Norville stated that accused, after his arrest at Pakotai on July 7, had voluntarily pleaded guilty ; to all the forgery charges, and had signed a statement in his own handwriting to that effect. After hearing all the seven charges of forgery, which were read over -by the clerk of the court separately, accused pleaded guilty if each charge, and was committed for sentence at .the next sitting of the Supreme Court at Auckland. I