Car Salesman Gaoled For Forging Hire-Purchase Papers

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28742, 13 November 1958, Page 14

Car Salesman Gaoled For Forging Hire-Purchase Papers

(A cm Zealand Press Association)

ROTORUA. Nov. 12. ' On 47 charges of forging signa-; I tures on hire-purchase agree-1 ' menis. Roy Lyme, aged 26. a car! I salesman, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by Mr W. H. Freeman. S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Rotorua today. Lyme pleaded guilty to all the offences, which occured during his employment with Tui Car Sales and Services. Ltd. The offences covered the period from May. 1956. to March. 1957. during which Lyme, who had been employed as a repossessing agent, had signed the names of J. L. Witherow, J.P.. L. Curtis, R. Harding. G. Bates, D. West. L. Brown and W. Holden to alleged transactions involving motor) vehicles to a total cost of £33.745. Accused had been employed by ( Noel Raymond Tuohy who had been found guilty of operating illegally, said Senior DetectiveSergeant W. H. A. Sharp. Tuohy appeared before the Court on 164 charges, and while at first he had denied that anyone else had

; gained through the transactions, -ion June 22 he wrote to the police, ■ I alleging that Lyme was implir I’cated. » When interviewed. Lyme ad- . mitted the forgeries, but added » that he thought the transactions j were legal. He also thought the . money received from the finance - companies was being used by 11 Tuohy to purchase equipment. It was established that no cars 1 had been transferred from Tuohy . to Lyme. Tuohy had made further. 1 and unsubstantial. allegations » against other persons. f Mr Sharp said it could not be . established that Lyme had made . any gain from the transactions. 1 apart perhaps from being perr mitted to use cars f For the accused Mr J. Allan : said Lyme had been ‘Tatted on by •his colleague.’’ He had com*, i menced his activities when ap- > | proached by Tuohy. He thought . several of the transactions were •i genuine. Lyme had not attempted I to disguise his handwriting, nor |'did he try to hide any of the II facts. The transactions were completed “under the nose of an accountant of a finance com-

The Magistrate said the number of offences indicated that accused knew he was witnessing fictitious transactions featuring fictitious persons.