Salesman admits 20 charges; . $86,700 involved

Press, 7 May 1980, Page 4

Salesman admits 20 charges; . $86,700 involved

! A trial which was to have [opened in the;High Court ‘yesterday before Mr Justice ICook and a jury did not take place because the accused, a .former.car salesman, pleaded .guilty to 20 indictments inleluding frauds and theft. I The accused, Christopher i Cliff Morris, aged 26, had • been committed for trial, 1 after a lower court hearing I last August, on 31 charges, ! some of them alternative Icharges, involving alleged ofifences during his employiment with P.D.L. ' Motors, | Ltd (now known 'as Mareniello Motors; • Ltd) between May, 1975 and October, 1978. He had pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury. Yesterday, the accused admitted 20 offences, involving a total of $86,700. They comprised 15 charges, involving a total of 561.500, of using hire purchase agreements for pecuniary advantage; a charge of theft of a cheque for $2000; three charges of using cheques totalling $23,200 to obtain ’ benefit for himself; and a|i charge of making false en-

d tries in monthly stock sheets, : His Honour remanded the accused to May 13 for sen, tence and granted him bail.of $5OOO, with two sureties of the same amount. After the pleas of guilty had been entered the prose’cutor (Mr N. W. Williamson) said the Crown would not proceed on four other charges, which the accused denied. The accused’s counsel (MrK. N. Hampton) said he had: been instructed that the accused did not obtaip any benefit himself as a result of the transactions involving the hire-purchase agreements.■ Referring to the three bank cheque offences involving I amounts of $10,320, $10,72Q.i and $2160, Mr Hampton said these related to the accused’s < own account, and the onlybenefit or advantage he?, gained from using thet cheques was certain time to make other arrangements to raise money. The debts were in fact met by the accused and this would be the subject of submissions at the time of sentence.