ACCUSED FOUND NOT GUILTY

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25796, 6 May 1949, Page 11

ACCUSED FOUND NOT GUILTY

CHARGE of uttering forged ticket JUDGE’S DIRECTION TO JURY (Hew Zealand Press Association.) WELLINGTON. May 5 After briefly reviewing the Crown eviMr Justice Gresson to-day directed in the Supreme Court to return a of not guilty in the case of RayHector Judd, aged 51, a lance-cor-Lrtl in the Army, who was charged with %£ririg a tctalisator ticket at on January 24. The direction wmade to the jury as the defence coun,iwas about to call his second witness. Without retiring, the jury brought in a Llrfict accordingly, and the accused was bargedC Th’e Crown evidence, which began vesJjjv, was that a man had presented to niv-out window at the totalisator a £1 nn which the number had been ,;: ere j from six to 16. A constable had Len- snoken to by the accused before ST ticket was presented. The paying had refused to accept the ticket -Ad the man who presented it had left ticket, remarking that it belonged to cimeone else. In his evidence, accused said he had wearing long-sight glasses that dav had not noticed that the ticket had Mjn altered. The ticket had been given tohim bv an Australian named Jack for him to collect the dividend. His Honour remarked to the Crown r-unsel when the accused had given evidence tb«t evidence of knowledge of the i, rfc ry was extremely slight, and that he Crown case rested almost solely on judd’s alleged statement to the conable: ‘T struck a winner.” The rest of the evidence was just inference. To the jury, his Honour said the Crown case at its conclusion was weak, but one Ljich the accused should rightly be called upon to answer. The Crown had not proved that when he presented the ticket accused knew it was a forgery. Accused's evidence had not been shaken in cross-examination, and there was insufficient evidence to warrant finding him guilty-