SUPREME COURT

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26416, 9 May 1951, Page 4

SUPREME COURT

JUDGE’S ADDRESS TO GRAND JURY

TRUE BILLS RETURNED

“Your task to-day is fortunately a comparatively light’ one, because this is a light calendar, compared, at any rate, with the calendars we have had at recent sittings of this Court, there being only three bills of indictment for your consideration,” said Mr Justice Northcroft, addressing the Grand Jury at the opening of the quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court in Christchurch yesterday. The first charge for their consideration was that against a man, Richard Croke, who was charged with forgary. An Interest warrant was issued by the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association of Canterbury, Ltd., to a James Casey and it went missing in the post. When Casey did not receive it inquiries were set afoot and it was found that the warrant had been lodged in a bank by a Mr Jones, a barber, of Hereford street. He said it had been cashed with him by Croke. It had been endorsed with the name of Casey, and, a handwriting expert would say that the writing was that of Croke.

The next matter was a series of charges of theft as a servant against Walter Collinson Carr, who' was for some years manager of the city abattoir, said his Honour. The depositions showed that from time to time Carr sold hay, received money, paid it into Ms own bank account, and did not account for it to the Christchurch City Council. Carr’s explanation was that, from time to time, he was at personal expense for the repair of fences and to make good losses of animals, and he had used the proceeds from the sale of hay as a set off. There were three charges of obscene exposure against James McAuley end they depended upon identification. It appeared clear that someone had been exposing himself in the Ashburton district, nut it was lor the Grand Jury to say whether the evidence of identification was sufficiently reliable to warrant McAuley being put upon his trial. The Grand Jury returned true bills on all counts. .

Juror Fined £1 When Joseph Millner Preston was called for the Grand Jury, he did not answer. After the Grand Jury had retired to consider the bills of indictment, he appeared before his Honour and explained that he had been delayed by a business engagement and had arrived at the Court a few minutes late.

He was fined £l. Prisoner Pleads Guilty Richard Croke. aged 59, a labourer, pleaded guilty when he appeared on a charge that, on February 23, he forged a New Zealand Fanners’ Co-operative Association of Canterbury. Ltd., interest warrant in favour of James Casey, for £lB. by endorsing the name James Casey i’Z 1 J , back of * he warrant, with intent that it be acted on as genuine. Hs was remanded for sentence.