Finance Agent Admits Thefts Totalling £l8ll

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27989, 8 June 1956, Page 9

Finance Agent Admits Thefts Totalling £l8ll

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Arthur Moore Heaps, aged 71, a retired clerk, was remanded until June 14 for sentence when he pleaded guilty to theft charges totalling £lBll 3s lOd, in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr L. N. Ritchie. S.M., was on the Bench.

For the last 20 years. Heaps had been in business as a finance agent with an office in Hereford street, said Detective-Sergeant G. C. Urquhart. He apparently had a knowledge of conveyancing and solicitors in the town sent him work. He also built up a clientele of his own. During the last few years, Heaps had become financially unstable and he began to operate on trust funds when he got into financial difficulties.

A woman who was a beneficiary from her father’s estate decided to sell IS front sections of a property at Halswell, said Detective-Sergeant Urquhart. Heaps was appointed to receive the money. Some time later, the woman was f?oing overseas and she asked for a full settlement of all the moneys that had been paid over. Heaps paid with a cheque which was dishonoured. On her return from overseas the woman found that Heaps had not a hope of caving over the money he had received.

Heaps was appointed a trustee of another estate, and when it came to be wound up it should have had a credit of £9l 12s, but he could pay nothing and the accused admitted using the money for his own purposes, said Detective-Sergeant Urquhart. The sum of £350 had been given to Feans by a woman to invest with one of his clients, and arrangements were made for her to receive the interest every six months. Heans finally repaid the principal with a cheque for £352 12s 6d. but asked the woman not to cash it before February 7. She did this, and when she did present the cheque it was dishonoured, said Detec-tive-Sergeant Urquhart.

Heaps was charged as follows: that between Februarv 17. 1950. and May 13. 1955. he sto’e £9BB ss. the property of the estate of John Hadley: that between November 28 1955. and February 7 he stole £52 from Elizabeth Gertrude Whitehead- that between March 28. 1 9'5. and February 7. 1956. he stole £ll5 from K dna M. Howard and Arnold William Howard; that bptween October 9. 1943. and February 7. 1956, he stole £lBO from Mary Anne Oliver; +hat between December 10, 1954. and February 7. 1956. he stole £62 12s from the Fdward Oldridce estate- that between 2l. and February 3, 1 956. he stole £350 from Bertha Maud Oldridge; that on or about April 1. 1955. he stole £699 18s fid from Doris Edith Edwards: +hat between February 18 1955. and Februarv 7. 1956, he stole £67 8s from Frederick William King. Heaps was a married man- and had absolutely no assets whatever, said Detective Urquhart. He was in receint of universal superannuation.

Pail was renewed in <be sum of £2OO with one surety of £2OO. MOTOR-CYCLE CONVERSIONS

Garry Robert Chadderton, aged 18. who pleaded guilty to the conversion

of 13 motor-cycles of a total value of approximately £l7OO, was remanded until June 14 for sentence and a probation officer’s report. He also pleaded guilty to the conversion of a car and a set of number plates. Chadderton was apprehended by the police when riding a motor-cycle along the Main South road at Hornby without a light. He could not prove his ownership of the machine and later admitted taking it from outside the picture theatre at Hornby, said Detective-Sergeant Urquhart.

Subsequent investigations brought to light the other conversions which were committed in company with a 16-year-old companion. The accused was due to appear in the Magistrate’s Court in Christchurch but on the previous day he left for Nelson in a converted car with his companion and a number of offences were committed on the way. They were arrested in Nelson.

Chadderton. who lived with his mother, was employed by a contractor. He had one previous conviction of obscene language, said DetectiveSergeant Urquhart.

ASSAULT Anthony Patrick Mills, aged 23, a rubber worker, was fined £7 for assaulting Vincent Brian Perham. Sub-Inspector C. H. Reardon said, that Perham was driving a car in St. Asaph street and when about to stop passed close to the defendant who apparently received a fright. He remonstrated with the driver, an argument ensued and one blow was struck. LIQUOR NEAR DANCE HALL Thomas Norman Bradford, Keith George Harrington and Rex Allan O’Grady were each fined £3 for having liquor near a dance hall. NO RAILWAY TICKET Phyllis Barter, aged 20. a waitress, was fined £2 on a charge of failing to produce a ticket on the DunedinChristchurch express on October 21. 1955. OBSCENE LANGUAGE ■/ Brian David Hill, aged 20, a linesman was fined £5 when he pleaded guilty to a charge of using obscene language in Lichfield street. UNDER AGE IN HOTEL Pauline Terese Campion and Sylvia Bernstein were both fined £2 for being found on licensed premises when they were under the age of 21. A policewoman gave evidence that she discovered the two girls and a companion who was too young to appear in the Magistrate’s Court during a routine visit to a hotel. UNLAWFULLY ON PREMISES

Charles John Ellis and Thomas Francis Roach were each fined £2 for being found unlawfully on the licensed premises of the Gladstone Hotel on April 14. LICENSING CHARGES DISMISSED Charges against John Callan Pope, licensee of the Bluff Hotel, Coalgate, of opening the premises, selling and exposing liquor after hours, and against Peter Madsen and Lindsay Parkin of being unlawfully on licensed premises, were dismissed. The case for the police was conducted by Sub-Inspector Reardon and Mr G. J. Leggat appeared for the defence. (Before Mr L. N. Ritchie, S.M.) REMANDED On a charge of stealing a condiment set, valued at £2 15s, and cutlery valued at £5 Ils 9d, the property of Armstrong and Farr, Ltd., Trevor Cyril Lionel Watson, aged 19. an electro-plater, was remanded to June 14 for sentence and a Probation Officer’s report. Bail was allowed in the sum of £5O and one surety of £5O. Detective-Sergeant G. C. Urquhart said for some weeks goods had been missing from the firm of Armstrong and Farr, Ltd., and when interviewed by detectives, accused had admitted the thefts. The condiment set was stock, the property of the firm, and the cutlerv had been left with the firm for plating. Desmond Henry Santy, aged 19. a sawmill hand, was remanded for sentence and a Probation Officer’s report to June 14. on a charge of indecently assaulting a female at Rakaia on May 28. Bail was renewed. Audrey Gwendoline Aurisch, aged 44 (Mr D. J. Hewitt), elected trial by jury when charged with receivin'goods to the value of £23 10s on May 15, well knowing them to have beer dishonestly obtained. She was remanded , to June 20, bail being renewed. Daniel Hunt, 35. a labourer pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing an electric heater, valued a 4 £B. the propertv of William Henr? Haile, on April 28. Detective-Sergeant Urouhart said accused and two companions visited the Harewood Arms Hotel at Oxford. Accused had been seen leaving the hotel in possession of an electric heater. When interviewed by the police, accused said he had become entangled with the cord and had picked un the heater. Hunt denied ever having been in the lounge of the hotel, from where the heater was reported to have been taken. He was convicted and remanded for one week for sentence and a Probation Officer’s report. Bail was allowed in the sum of £5O. THEFT OF BRANDY Keith William Scott, aged 30. a driver (Mr C. M. Roper), pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a bottle of brandy valued at 30s. the property of Walter Herrick, on May 20. Detective-Sergeant Urquhart said Scott had been engaged in unloading stock with a firm of carriers in Christchurch. It was later discovered that two bottles of brandy and a quantity of cigarettes were missing. Accused had admitted taking one bottle of brandy, which he had sold to a man in a hotel bar. Mr Roper said Scott had not been before the Court previously. When engaged on a removal job, he saw a case of liquor which had been broken open. In a weak moment his client had submitted to a foolish temptation He had been quite frank with the police. Scott was fined £lO and ordered to make restitution of the sum of £1 10s (Before Mr Rex C. Abernethy, S.M.) DEFERRED SENTENCE On a charge of indecent assault on a male on Mav 15, Gladstone William Richard Boyd, aged 65. a retired radio announcer (Mr W. F. Brown), who appeared for sentence, was ordered to come up for sentence if called on within two years. THEFT OF MUSIC CASES Trevor James Crowe, aged 22. a painter TMr B. McClelland) and Charles Laurence Rivette. aged 20. a butcher (Mr A. D. Holland) appeared for sentence on a charge of stealing music cases valued at £1 6s. the property of James Gregg. In fining each accused £5, the Magistrate said the escapade was especially foolish and was the wrong way to right what was considered to be a wrong. Accused might have had a grouch, but that was hardly an excuse. BORSTAL TRAINING Dennis Patrick Harper, aged 19, a labourer (Mr H. E. Blank), appeared for sentence on a charge of indecent assault on April 21. The Magistrate said Harper was a menace to the community and although Borstal might not be the

best place it was the only one offering for this type of offence. Harper was convicted and sentenced to a period of Borstal training. CONVERSION OF BICYCLE „W al ,? a . ulin e Ruru, aged 20, and Hilda Skipper, aged 17, were each ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within one year when they appeared for sentence on a charge of converting a bicycle. CIVIL CASES (Before Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M.) On judgment summons. D. O. Hall was ordered to pay Hays Ltd. £lO Is Id, in default 11 days' imprisonment; I. S. Port was ordered to pav Hays Ltd. £9 17s 9d, in default 11 days imprisonment; D. M. Burgess was ordered to pay Quill Morris <1936) Ltd. £3 13s, in default four days' imprisonment: A. E. Ayers was ordered to pay George H. Wood. Ltd.. £7 15s lOd, in default eight days' imprisonment; D. C. Climie was ordered to pay C. W. Hyland £l2 6s, in default 14 days’ imprisonment: R. E. Williams was ordered to pay R. A. Young, Hunter and Cook £2l 6s, in default 22 days’ imprisonment; H. Thomas was ordered to pay J. H Silvester £l6 4s 6d, in default 17 days’ imprisonment: G. Steel was ordered to pay A. J. A. Francis £l2B Is 9d, in default three months' imprisonment.

German Foreign Office Archives.— 411 the principal archives of the German Foreign Office, for the years after 1918, which captured in 1945, have been or will be microfilmed. Lord Reading. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said today. He told a questioner in the House of Lords that the archives were held jointly by the British and United States Governments.—London, June 8.