JURY'S VERDICT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 39, 15 February 1935, Page 3

JURY'S VERDICT.

CONCLUSION OF HEARING. At the conclusion of the evidence for the Crown yesterday afternoon, Detec-tive-Sergeant Mcllugh read a statement made to him l>y the accused. In this McDowell said " that he had received about £700 in loans, made to him on his promising that his mother in Ireland would repay the money. He said also that a man naniod Bloomfield with whom accused had been working on relief works at Devonport was with him on one occasion when he received some money from his mother at the Post Office. This man, accused alleged, had threatened to inform the relief committee unless he was given some money. Altogether, accused said, he had given Bloomfield £300 of the money he had received. The detective said that: he had made inquiries for Bloomfield and could not find any trace of him. "As far as I am concerned 'Bloomfield' is a inyth," added the detective. In addressing the jury, Mr. Noble contended that none of the 30 odd letters Written by accused in August last year, which were the subject of the charges against the accused, contained any menace. All the letters indicated that accused wanted a loan and that he was continuing his system of borrowing money. The Judge Sums Up. In summing up, his Honor said that there was no evidence before the jury which would lead to the conclusion that the victim of the alleged blackmail was guilty of that crime alleged. That issue, however, was not before the jury. The jury had to consider whether the letters contained menaces and whether accused had acted with the intention of frightening the complainant. Referring to the payments totalling £1100, which had been paid by the complainant up to August last year—when complainant refused to pay any more and put the matter in the hands of his solicitors — his Honor said that those payments were irrelevant to the issue before the jury except as part of the history of the case The jury found accused guilty on three of the four charges of extortion and on seven of the eleven charges of demanding money by menaces. On the remaining counts he was found not guilty. Sentence was postponed.