Men charged with using false cheques

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 5

Men charged with using false cheques

John Perkovic, aged 50, described as an unemployed commercial artist (Mr K. J. Jones), and Hugh Walter Perston, an unemployed painter, formerly of Wellington (Mr R. J. McMurtrie), appeared in the District Court yesterday jointly charged with passing false cheques totalling $6366. It is alleged that the two men passed false cheques to Mecca Motors, Ltd, to obtain a car valued at $4995; to Munns, Ltd, for three men’s suits, two shirts and two ties totalling $699; to Air New Zealand for airline tickets valued at $72; and to obtain credit of $6OO from the Clarendon Hotel. The alleged offences were said to have been committed between December 21 and 26, 1979.

Yesterday was the second day of the hearing before Judge Pain.

Perston told the Court that he had met Perkovic in Wellington. He had told Perston that he was opening a postcard business in Christchurch and wanted him to be the manager. • He had also told him that he was a television producer from Perth. Perkovic had said that he had been in jail with Arthur

Allan Thomas and that Thomas had admitted to him that he was guilty of the Crewe murders. * Perkovic had said that he had evidence proving that Thomas was guilty.

Perkovic had offered him more than $lO,OOO a year, plus $50,000 expenses, to i manage the postcard busiIness. However, he would j first have to go to Australia ■to train for the job. i Perkovic had said that he ihad no money because the I police had frozen his funds ■ due to the Arthur Allan 'Thomas matter. Perston said that he had no reason "to disbelieve Perkovic. He said that he and Perkovic had come to Christchurch under false names. He had believed that all the cheques would be met as Perkovic had said that he would put money in Perston’s cheque account once they got to Christchurch. Perkovic had shown him a savings bank passbook which showed a total of $2 million. James Foster Patrick, the manager of Munns, Ltd, said that Perston and Perkovic had bought clothing totalling $699 and had paid for it by (Cheque; Perston had filled I out the cheque. ■ The clothing had been picked up the next day as it was to be altered. Perkovic had come back a couple of days later to ask if the cheque had been filled out correctly as his partner sometimes got the amount wrong. Mr Patrick said that Perkovic had told him that he was setting up an importexport medical supply business, that he had come from Australia, had bought a property in the inner city and that he was buying a house in Cashmere. Dianne Carol Blakeway gave evidence that Perkovic had purchased airline tickets from the Air New Zealand ticket office at Christchurch airport.' Ronald Stuart Alexander, the sales manager at Mecca

Motors, Ltd. said Perkovic had arranged to buy a car from the company. Perkovic had said that his money was being transferred from Auckland and Mr Alexander said he had agreed to sell the car on a bankdraft. Perkovic had given him withdrawal slips for the total amount and Perkovic had telephoned him late on Christmas Day and said that his wife was coming down 1 from Auckland with a cheque jbook. He had met Perkovic I the next day but had been ’ given a blank cheque signed iby a man who, Perkovic j claimed, was his business ■ partner —■ Perston. I Mr Alexander said he had ■ accepted the cheque as security in case the bankdraft had not come through. It was the holiday period and the banks were closed. Two detective constables, Paul Hunter, and Alan Curnow gave evidence of interviews they had had with Perkovic and Perston when the two men had been arrested. A married woman, who was granted interim suppression, gave evidence for Perston that she had met Perkovic in February and he had asked her to act as a private |secretary in the postcard ■ business Which he was setting up in the city. Perkovic had borrowed $5OOO from her — $lOOO of' which she had recovered. Perkovic had given her ad-j dresses of offices he had in Sydney and Perth. The woman said that she and her husband’had gone on a holiday to Australia and had found that the addresses given did not exist. Perkovic had given her a savings bank passbook with S2M shown in credit and had given her authority to operate the account in Australia. She had become suspicious when she found that the amount for S2M had not been stamped by the bank. Judge Pain will rule on the admissibility of the woman’s evidence today. (Proceeding).