$60,000 bail on cheque charges

Press, 24 December 1985, Page 8

$60,000 bail on cheque charges

Bail terms totalling $30,000 each were imposed by Judge Frampton on two men who further appeared in the District Court yesterday on joint charges alleging the use of forged cheques to obtain a pecuniary advantage. The police claimed that the charges involved a total of $640,000. Sergeant J. E. Dwyer said that one of the defendants, Trevor Alan Lee, was found with forgery equipment allegedly used in making the forged cheques. Lee, aged 36, a contractor, of Invercargill (Mr J. N. Hampton), Barry Stephen Shirreffs, aged 37, a builder of Queenstown (Mr C. M. Ruane), and Kay Linda Kennedy, aged 32, a solo mother of Christchurch (Miss P. D. Costigan) each appeared on two joint charges of using National Bank cheques, personalised in the name of the Trustees Executors and Agency Company of New Zealand, Ltd, to obtain a pecuniary advantage. The offences were allegedly committed in Timaru and Oamaru on December 20.

The three defendents were remanded, without plea, to the charges. Lee was remanded to appear in the District Court, at Christchurch on January 6. Bail was granted in his own recognisance of $15,000, with two sureties of $7500 each.

The sureties are to be approved by the police and he was ordered to report daily to the police. Shirreffs was remanded to appear in the District Court at Invercargill on January. 6, on bail terms and conditions similar to those imposed on Lee. Kennedy was remanded on bail of $5OOO, with a similar surety to appear in the District Court at Christchurch on January 20. Sergeant Dwyer said the police strongly opposed bail for Lee, who, he said, was alleged to have been the mastermind behind all the

offences. Police were still making inquiries into the matter. Sergeant Dwyer said bail was not opposed for the two other defendants, but substantial sureties were Mr Hampton, seeking bail for Lee, said this defendant denied involvement in the alleged offences. There was no suggestion that he would fail to answer to bail. He had business interests in Invercargill and Dunedin, and could obtain substantial sureties.

CUSTODY REMAND On eight drugs charges, to which he pleaded guilty, Craig Francis Gurney, aged 20, unemployed (Mr E. Beto) was committed to the High Court for sentence. He was remanded in custody to await sentence on February 11. The charges were of manufacturing morphine, possessing morphine, prtH during a substance containing morphine and other constituents of opium (two charges), possessing codeine, possessing cannabis plant, possessing a pipe for use in a drug offence, and possessing eight needles and four syringes for use in a drug offence.

BIGAMY • A woman yesterday admitted committing bigamy in 1982, 11 years after she had been legally married. The defendant, Jan Elizabeth Bryant, aged 36, a cleaner, was convicted and remanded at large to January 15 for sentence. Detective Sergeant N. E. Scott said Bryant was in August, 1971. The couple later separaed and she went through a fo:rm of marriage with another man in June, 1982,./. without having gone through divorce proceedings from her husband. When interviewed by the police this year Bryant readily admitted the offence and said she had known it was wrong to remarry. She had not obtained a divorce because of the cost of

divorce proceedings. PERIODIC DETENTION A man who, his counsel said, had a long history of drug addiction was sentenced to seven months periodic detention on a charge of theft of a car valued at $16,500 from a city car sales yard. The defendant, Nicholas John Shirley, aged 24, unemployed (Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon) had admitted the theft at an earlier court appearance. On a charge of possessing a syringe he was ordered to come up for sentence within a year, if called upon. Shirley was also directed to undertake treatment and counselling for drug addiction. 29 CHARGES

A Christchurch signwriter appeared a month late, on 29 charges for which he was supposed ,to have appeared for a scheduled trial by jury on November 25. Paul Robert Boby, aged 39, had failed to appear on November 25 and Judge Sheehan had issued a Bench warrant for his arrest. His counsel, Mr M. J. Glue, said then that Boby had indicated his intention of pleading guilty, but was working in the North Island. He had been told he still

should appear on the date set for his trial. J ; His non-appearance led to a warrant being issued for his arrest. v' The Judge ? yesterday granted an application for .bail “with some relucantance.” He remanded Boby to December 30, with bail of $2500, and with a similar surety. He is to'report daily to the police. ; The charges - on which Boby was to jiappear were false pretence, attempted false pretence, theft, and obtaining credit by fraud. Most of the charges allege he took" money from shopkeepers and small business persons in various parts of the South Island by representing? that advertising would be supplied in a Planned sporting publicaon. '