Woman on cheque, purchase charges

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 7

Woman on cheque, purchase charges

Nineteen charges of dishonesty, including the alleged purchase or attempted purchase of three cars by the issue of valueless cheques, were denied in the District Court yesterday by a young unemployed masseuse.

The defendant, Brenda Joy Armstrong, aged 19, faces four charges of forgery of Bank of New South Wales signature cards, six of false pretence, six of using documents or withdrawal slips) to obtain pecuniary advantage, two of obtaining credit by false pretence, and one charge of obtaining credit by fraud.

After 21 of the 27 witnesses had been heard, yesterday, Judge Bisphan ad-i journed the case to today. Sergeant G. C. Jones is prosecuting. The charges allegedly involve the opening of bank accounts with cheques purported to have been stolen and the issue of cheques for items including air fares, accommodation, a rental car hire, and the purchase or attempted purchase of cars valued at §5900, $5500, and $4300, The alleged offences were said to have been committed in Wellington and Christchurch late last year. Some of the charges involved offences allegedly committed jointly with other persons. Three other charges, ot false pretence were admitted. Witnesses yesterday included 14 bank officers, an airline employee, and a police document examiner. During the case a contempt of court warning was given to a man, who said he was the defendant s fiance. The Judge told the. man that .'he had been disrupting

proceedings for the previous hour. He directed him to leave the Court building for the remainder of the day, or else face proceedings for contempt of court. (Before Judge Fraser) CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against a young man of possessing an offensive weapon, a nunchaku, on the evening of February 27, was dismissed by the Judge without his calling on defence evidence. He upheld defence submissions by Mr G. H. Nation that there was no case to answer as there was no evidence that the weapon was in the control of the defendant- „ . The defendant, Brian Alan Robinson, aged 19, a process worker, had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was laid after police had found weapons including a knife, iron bar, and nun- • chaku (two metal pipe seci tions joined by a chain) in a • car in which several young . men were travelling in Tuam r Street. . - A constable said, in cross- ; examination, that the 1 weapon had been found under the front seat of the . car.' He did not know where 1 the defendant had beer sit- - ting in the car. In a statement allegedly - made to the police the z defendant said the others r had called at his flat and he had been invited to get in f their car. One had asked - him to get his nunchakus which he declined to do, and - this occupant then asked for n the keys of his car and said a he would get them. Dismissing the charge, the i- Judge said evidence clearly s showed that the defendant ie owned the' weapon, but phvsical possession or conn tro’l ; at the time had not g been established.