Forgeries in exams admitted

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 4

Forgeries in exams admitted

A commercial sprayer who got another man to sit, in his name, written examinations towards his commercial pilot’s licence pleaded guilty in the District Court yesterday to eight charges of forgery. The defendant, Harry George Cockburn, aged 41, of Culverden, admitted the offences, before a scheduled trial by jury in the District Court was to have taken place. The offences occurred in Timaru in August and November, 1983, and April, 1984. They involved Cockburn’s forging Civil Avia-

tion Division examination papers sat in his name, in that he procured the commission of the offence. Judge Fraser remanded Cockburn on bail to May 6 for a probation report and sentence. Dr W. G. G. A. Young appeared for Cockbum. Mr D. J. L. Saunders, who appeared for the Crown, said that no other person had been dealt with in relation to the offences, but one other person had been charged and one would be charged. The principal alleged offender had not been before the court but had

been arrested last December and was awaiting a hearing in another jurisdiction, Mr Saunders said. The police summary in relation to Cockburn’s offences was not read to the Court yesterday. However, at the preliminary hearing last September, the prosecutor said that Cockbum had been charged under provisions of the Crimes Act with being a party to the forgeries in that he procured some other person to sit each of the examinations to which the eight charges related. The Civil Aviation Division became suspicious of the improvement in the

examination marks obtained in Cockbum’s name and after an internal inquiry the matter was handed to the police. The examination papers to which the charges related included aviation law, meteorology, flight navigation, principles of flight and performance for helicopters, and general aviation technical knowledge for helicopters.