FOR SENTENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 145, 21 June 1934, Page 8

FOR SENTENCE.

CLERK'S OFFENCES.

TROUBLE OVER A CHEQUE.

SIGNATURE FORGED. Offences concerning a cheque were admitted by Ernest Edwin Newton (23), a clerk, before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Police Court this morning. He was charged that at Auckland on May 2S he knowingly made a false document, a cheque for £73, made payable to A. Purvis, drawn on the National Bank of New Zealand, and purporting to be signed by Caroline E. A. Purvis, with intent that it should bo acted upon as genuine; that on the same date he knowingly made a false document, namely, an application form for a cheque book; and that oil the same date, knowing a cheque for £73 to be forged, he attempted to cause Mervyn John Barrett to act upon it as genuine.

_ Caroline E. A. Purvis said that the signatures on an application form and a cheque (produced), purporting to be hers, had not been made by her, although the writing was something like her own.

A clerk employed by the bank, Lionel Vernon Simmonds, said that on May 28 accused called at the bank and presented an application form for a cheque book. The signature was accepted as that 01 one of the bank's clients, and accused was handed a book of 24 cheque forms, for which he paid 4/. On June 13 witness, with Detective Belton, went to Mangere and witness identified accused. Newton had admitted on that occasion having uttered the cheque. Mervyn John Barrett, a ledger keeper, said that on the afternoon of May 2 accused presented a cheque for £73, ■purporting to be signed by Caroline E. A. Purvis. The signature on the cheque was very like the real one. Owing to the large amount involved, inquiries were made. Accused remained in the bank for over five minutes while inquiries were being made, but later left without getting the cash.

Details of the interview with accused at Mangere were given by Detective Belton. Accused, lie said, had admitted obtaining the cheque forms and stated that he had hidden a number of them in a public room in the Ferry Buildings. On the way to the police station with accused witness went to the Ferry Buildings, but the cheque forms were not found. Accused made a statement in which he admitted forging complainant's signature on the application form and 011 the cheque. In asking that accused should be allowed bail, Mr. Webb said that the case was a problem for accused's parents, who were respectable people. It was not the first occasion that accused had been in trouble, and at the present time he was under medical observation and his parents were awaiting the result of an X-ray examination. Accused's employer spoke well of him. Senior Detective Hall said that accused had twelve previous convictions, involving three occasions. The magistrate instructed counsel to make a further application for bail when the result of the X-ray examination had been made known. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.