BAD CHEQUES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 16, 20 January 1931, Page 7

BAD CHEQUES.

SALESMAN LEAVES TRAIL

WAR INJURIES BLAMED.

EX-CAPTAIN BEFORE COURT

MOTOR TRIP FROM AUCKLAND.

Injuries sustained while on active service and the fact that hie wife had left him while he was away from home on business, were said by his counsel to be responsible for the offences committed by Victor Roche Bond, aged 36, a salesman, who appeared at the Police Court this morning.

After leaving a trail of valueless cheques behind him wiille on his way from Auckland to Wellington, Bond was arrested at Palmerston North and sentenced there, last week. This morning he pleaded guilty to a series of charges —theft of a cheque -book valued at I/, incurring a debt of £16 5/11 by fraud and nine charges of having obtained •roods and money totalling £28 2/0 from various persons by means of valueless cheques.

Stay at City Hotel. Detective-Sergeant Kelly said Bond lived at Wellington, and had a wife and two children. Under the title of Captain Bond, ho booked in at a select Aucklaud hotel on December 9 and remained * there until Christmas Eve, when'he left without paying his bill of £16 5/11, which included board, wines and laundry account. Bond, when he booked in, gave every indication that he had the means to pay, but he had not. When he arrived in Auckland he had possession of a car, which he parked in the garage of J. W. K. Clarke, Lome Street. He was handed the key to the garage, and with this in his possession he stole from the office a cheque book on the National Bank. He then left, taking his car, the key to the garage and the cheque book, which he etole on Christmas Day.

On December 29 accused stayed at a Newmarket hotel, overnight. Using a fictitious name, he obtained a total of £10 in exchange for a valueless cheque, which he handed the cashier. From another city hotel on December 26 he obtained £1 /by similar means. On December 27 he parked his car at a garage in Grey Avenue and handed the attendant a valueless cheque for £2, obtaining garaging and £1 15/ in cash.

"Bond then started out on his return journey to' Wellington on December 28," added Mr. Kelly. "At Manurewa he called at a petrol station and obtained, by another valueless cheque, petrol and cash to the value of £1. He continued southwards, and at Rangiriri he paid for accommodation and got £1 14/6 in cash from a hotel licensee. At Hamilton he obtained petrol and cash to the value of £2 by still another valueless cheque. At Kihikihi, on December 30, he induced another hotclkeeper to cash a valueless cheque for £2, and the following day, at Ohaupo, he handed the licensee of the hotel a cheque for £2 and obtained £1 13/ in cash. He then went to Wanganui aud presented a cheque for £7, inducing an assistant to give him a suit, pair of pyjamas and £1 in money. This cheque was also valueless and drawn in a fictitious name. After this ho cashed valueless cheques at Palmereton North and Christclrurch. At Palmerston North he was arrested, and last week he was sentenced to three months' imprisonmnt on each of four charges, the sentences to be cumulative."

Detective-Sergeant Kelly stated that Bond was before the Supreme Court at Wellington in 1928 ' and placed on probation for three years for false pretences. He wae on probation when he committed the present offences, his license being found among his effects left at an Auckland hotel. Bond sustained a number of war injuries, and he attributed his present lapse to the fact that his wife recently left him.

"A Sad Case." "This is a very sad case," said Mr. K. Aekhfcs, who represented accused. Bond had eerved on five fronts durinothe- war, Samoa, Egypt and Palestine, Galhpoli and in France. He sustained, besides other injuries, two head wounds. The present charges related to the one series and it wae now a matter of cleaning them up. When he came to Auckland Bond had £12 of his own money. "Instead of going on this career of cashing valueless cheques, Bond could have telegraphed for money," added counsel. Quite recently he had been.in two convalescent homes .and he only left the Evelyn Firth Home six jponths ago. He left for the war when only IS, enlisted a s a private and ended with the rank of captain. For 15 years he had been employed by the Railway Department, and he had to resign because of ill-health caused by Avar injuries. For some time he had been organiser for the Wellington Automobile Association, and he held a similar position with the Farmers 5 Union. The latter position necessitated him being away from home a good deal.

Unable to Find Wife. On his return from one country trip he found his wife had left home. This had caused him much worry and he travelled right froni Auckland to the South Island trying to find her. He had heard einco that his wife was believed to be in Sydney. Bond had always been devoted to his wife and family. "There seems to be no doubt that his wife's abeence and his Avar injuries, coupled with the fact that he had recently been drinking- a little, had caused him to commit these foolish offences," said Mr. Aekins. The cheque book had been left in-his motor car and he foolishly took it. Counsel produced a number of references by well-known public' men to Bond's previous good character. He asked that accused should be dealt with as leniently as possible.

Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., said he did not propose to add to the considerable sentence of 12 months which Bond was at present serving , . From, his previous good record it certainly appeared that hie war injuries had much to do with his cmbayking on a career of f«lse pretences. Bond was convicted and discharged on all charges.