FALSE PRETENCES BY YOUTH

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28800, 22 January 1959, Page 9

FALSE PRETENCES BY YOUTH

Forgery Charges Also Admitted

(New Zealand Press AssodatAonl AUCKLAND. January 21. John Turfrey, aged 17, who stole 16 bank cheques from a Christchurch boarding house fellow, appeared before Mr J. D. Donne, SM., in the Auckland Magistrates' Court today. Turfrey admitted five charges of false pretences, one charge of attempted false pretences, six of forgery, five of uttering, and one of attempted uttering. He also admitted the theft of a £4O diamond ring from an Auckland man. He was remanded a week tor sentence. The police prosecutor (Mr H. W. Austin) said that before leaving the boarding house in Christchurch, Turfrey took the cheques. He went to a bank and cashed a cheque for £2 2s. and later presented another cheque for £4 10s. The cashier was suspicious, went to make some inquiries, and when he. returned found that Turfrey had gone.

From there, police inquiries showed, he went to a Manchester street jewellers, buying a £2O 15s watch with a forged cheque, and later sold the watch for £6.

Turfrey then went to a store where he obtained a £l9 17s 6d suit, which he sold for £4. Next he went to Wellington where he bought two more watches with valueless cheques. He sold both of them.

Coming to Auckland, he became friendly with a man who showed him the £4O diamond ring, which he later sold for £7. Mr Austin said the total amount of restitution required was £B9 6s Bd.