BANK FRAUD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1936, Page 8

BANK FRAUD.

FORGERY ADMITTED.

BOGUS BILL OF EXCHANGE,

YOUNG MAN FOR SENTENCE. (By Tolegrnpli.—Press Association.) DUNE DIN, this day. "The police are entitled to congratulations for their promptitude and skill," said Mr. IT. W. Bundle. S.M., this morning when James Alexander Fleming, aged 2(1,® a former bank employee, pleaded guilty to two charges of forgery and was committed for sentence. The case was the sequel to a daring bank fraud on June (i. accused, being charged with forging a bill of exchange on the Bank of New Zealand, at Wellington. for £534 1(1/8, and also with procuring a young woman to cause the liill to be acted upon.

Alexander Chisholni, teller, gave evidence that at 11.20 a.m. on June (i a woman presented a bill purporting to be signed by the head of the bills department. The document also bore what purported to be the initials of the bank manager with instructions to cash it. Shortly after the woman left witness became suspicious, and after inquiry reported the matter to the police.

A public typiste, whose name was suppressed, stated that on June 4 she received a letter through her letter box which purported to come from one, A. G. Spence. The envelope contained a pencilled letter and a pencilled bill of exchange and a blank bill. Witness' instructions were to type a letter from the pencilled one and type the blank bill from the pencilled one and forward the completed work to Spence at the Post Office.

Another young woman, a clerk attending a commercial college, stated that o:i June 5 the director of the college said he had given her name to a person applying for a clerk. Witness' telephone number had been supplied to this person, and later a man calling himself Jenkins, 'phoned her, telling her that she was appointed to the position, land was to go to the Post Office for a letter, which she did, and received papers and instructions to cash a bill of exchange, to [Hit the money in an attache case and deliver it at the office of the Gold Band Taxis with a letter. Witness cashed the bill and followed the instructions.

Joan Griffin, employed by the Gold Band Taxis, said the previous witness had handed in an attache case and a. letter, which were given to the taxidriver to deliver, as the instruction* snid, to Cavendish Chambers, which lie

The remainder of the evidence concurred with the preliminary statements of the first arrest, describing how suspicion fell on accused, resulting in his arrest some hours later, when £774 was recovered in the attache case and £20 in accused's pockets.