RAFFLE MONEY WAS KEPT IN BAGS UNDER THE BED

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31936, 13 March 1969, Page 24

RAFFLE MONEY WAS KEPT IN BAGS UNDER THE BED

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, March 12. After the final address for the defence, Mr Justice Woodhouse will sum up to the jury tomorrow in the trial of Neil Charles Collins in the Supreme Court at Auckland.

Collins, aged 35, a mechanic, has pleaded not guilty to a charge that, having received $3OOO in various sums from unknown persons, he fraudulently omitted to pay it to the North Shore Albion Rugby League Football Club, ther e b y committing I theft. Mr E. R. Winkel appears for the Crown and Mr D. P. (Pain and Mr R. P. Chambers for Collins. Collins, a former chairman of the club, said in evidence in the Supreme Court today that a sum of S3OOO he was accused of stealing, never in fact existed. He said he had not been I receiving as much profit as he had calculated from quickfire raffles he ran on the club's behalf. Profit of 8s He had estimated a profit of 8s on each raffle, but having looked into this matter I since he had concluded that each raffle realised no more than ss. He agreed that when questioned by club members he had mentioned figures of £l5OO and £l6OO in relation to the club's building fund. I Mr Pain: Was that amount ever in an account?—Never. Did you ever say it was in an account?—l never actually said it was in an account. I said the fund consisted of that amount. The accused said he based this figure on the number of raffles run, multiplied by Bs, with the money he had paid the club deducted.

He considered he was responsible for the money. He was the organiser of the raffles and through his lack of following up debts the club was losing.

“I never actually had the money,” he said. “Any money I have had I have paid to the club."

Asked where he thought this money was, the accused said he believed he must have had it because of the 8s he had calculated each raffle would return. He thought the money would come to light. He admitted he had lied to the committee that the money was invested in building society shares. He said he was stalling for time so that he could find some of the books and collects 1.0.U.s amounting to several hundred pounds. Large Sums Cross-examined by Mr Winkel, Collins admitted he was being pressed by creditors at the end of 1964 and in 1965. He agreed he had been receiving large sums from the raffles each week—about £250. He said he kept this in bags under his bed, banked the silver each Monday in a private account and kept the rest of the money until Wednesday or Thursday when he used it to pay for the prizes for the next week.

Mr Winkel: As you received the money each week you disposed of it by buying prizes and giving the rest to the club?—Not the rest to the club; it was offset by the total money being short.

Committee’s Belief Mr Winkel: Could the committee have justifiably believed that the money was in a fund?—That was how it I was taken. In his statement to the police, where he said he i always intended to repay the I amount he had meant he in-1 (tended to collect what was | owing.

In re-examination Collins ( said that during the period ( he was devoting about one-!

fifth of his time to the business that he had before joining the club. The rest of the time he was devoting to the football club. Collins said he had not used any of the raffle money either for living expenses or businesf expenses. Not up to Date Margaret Ruth Collins said her husband would not let her help with his business accounts because he did not keep them up to date. At the start he spent a little time on the club but it slowly took over his whole life.

She was often kept waiting for housekeeping money. At the time there was always raffle money in bags in the house.

To Mr Winkel, Mrs Collins said the raffle money was usually kept under a chair or a settee in the living room. Derek Carmichael, a driver salesman, said he was a supporter of the club for a number of years and had run the quickfire raffles. It was difficult to keep a close check on the money. 1 Mr Carmichael said he was (Paid 2s commission for each raffle.