Postmaster faces new charges

Press, 28 May 1981, Page 8

Postmaster faces new charges

A plea is expected to be entered in a fortnight by a postmaster, aged 30, who appeared before Judge Paterson in the . District Court yesterday on 61 charges of forgery involving $12,000. The alleged offences are said to have taken place over the last 10 months.

Although no pleas were entered by Murray Ernest Dailey, his counsel (Mr C. A. McVeigh) said a plea is expected when Dailey appears again on June 10. Bail of $5OOO, together with a surety of the same amount, was continued.

When Dailey appeared for the first time last week he only appeared on one charge of forging a Post Office travelling expense voucher for $207. The 60 new charges laid

yesterday also involve the forging of travelling expense

vouchers made out in the names of several other men. An order for the interim suppression of the defendant’s name was refused last week. ‘RAPE YELL’ A solo mother, aged 39, stopped by. a traffic officer in Prestons Road, last month, had got out of the car, undone her trousers, pulled down her underclothes, and had yelled' “rape,” said Detective Sergeant J. D. Ell. The defendant, who was granted final suppression of her name, had been charged with failing to dip her headlights, failing to stop when signalled to do so, refusing a speciman of blood, failed to accompany a traffic officer, assaulting, the officer, and

behaving in an offensive; manner. Mr Ell said that at 10 p.m. ■ on April 29 a vehicle travelling west on Prestons Road had failed to dip its headlights with the approach of oncoming traffic. This had been observed by a traffic officer who followed the vehicle signalling the driver to stop. The vehicle had slowed down but had then accelerated causing the traffic officer to jump clear of its path, said Mr EH. The officer pursued the defendant’s vehicle and again stopped it. The defendant was unsteady on her feet and unable to put the keys into the car. She was asked to undergo a breath test and refused walking off down Prestons Road.

She was then asked to | accompany the officer at ~ which she undid her trousers, pulled down her underclothes and yelled out “rape,” said Mr Ell. The officer and two others, who arrived at the scene were sworn at by the defen-, dant. i She had tried to jump out of the patrol car, had abused one officer and kicked another. The defendant had later admitted the offences. < Her explanation for removing her clothes had been that she must have wanted to go to the toilet, he said. < Convicting the woman the Judge remanded her on bail to June 10 for a probation report and sentence. The Judge said he was satisfied that the defendant had a psychiatric problem.