Man admits 121 charges of fraud, and other breaches

Press, 19 July 1988, Page 18

Man admits 121 charges of fraud, and other breaches

Goods and services of a total value of 528,823 were obtained by a man who, sometimes using his own name, opened 12 bank accounts in various parts of New Zealand with only initial deposits ranging from $3O to $3OO, said Sergeant M. Roswell in the District Court yesterday.

Mark Nicholas Tate, aged 27, unemployed (Mr A. N. D. Garrett), admitted 127 charges of fraud, three of incurring debt by fraud, one of unlawful taking, one of theft, one of escaping from custody at Wellington Airport, and breaches of periodic detention and bail. He was convicted by Judge Frampton and remanded in custody to July 26 for sentence. As well as the cheque books he obtained after opening accounts, Tate came into possession of three others. Tate had access to a total of 290 cheques, Sergeat Roswell

said. Of the goods and services obtained, which included hiring rental vehicles, only $2502 worth of property was recovered. Sergeant Roswell said compensation of $24,321 was sought from Tate. Tate readily admitted committing the offences because, to told the police, he was out of work and had little likelihood of getting a job.

The fraud offences occcurred in both the North Island and South Island earlier this year.

Tate opened eight accounts with branches of the ANZ Bank, three with Westpac, and one with BNZ.

The judge questioned whether banks made proper checks on prospective account holders before handing out cheque books to them almost immediately. On two of the accounts

Tate opened he gave the Paparua Prison settlement as his address, said Sergeant Roswell. Mr Garrett said there was no hope of compensation’s being made. FIVE REMANDED To enable counsel to determine a common depositions date, four men and a woman charged with importing about 13,000 temegesic tablets, said by the police to have a street value of $500,000, were each remanded to August 1. Those charged with importing the drug Buprenorphine, at Auckland, on July 10 were Rodney James Aldridge, aged 30; Christopher Patrick Boon, aged 29; and Murray James Ludemann, aged 34, all described as company directors; Heather Amelia Sylvia, aged 32, a mother of three; and a shop proprietor, aged 34, whose name was suppressed in the interim.

Bail was continued. The accused, who have already surrendered their passports to the police, were ordered to report to the police three times a week. PEERING OFFENCE A man who admitted peeping by night into a house in Webb Street and making indecent suggestions to a female occupant was convicted and fined $2OO. David John Bews, aged 29, a self-employed printer, committed the offence about 9.30 p.m. on July 16. He was later apprehended in a nearby section. Bews, who had been extremely intoxicated at the time, had little recollection of the incident, said a duty solicitor, Mr J. W, Appleby. The defendant, through the Court, apologised to the complainant, said Mr Appleby.

FRAUD CHARGE. Interim suppression of name was given to a man who faced charges of presenting a cheque made out in his name for $36,584 without the authority of the Standard Optical Company of Australasia, Ltd, and with signing the cheque without lawful authority. The police say the alleged offences occurred at Wellington in September, 1986. The defendant, a first offender, was remanded, without plea to August 1. SUPERVISION ORDERED Supervision for 12 months was imposed on a man earlier convicted on three charges of obscenely exposing himself in Petrie Street twice on June 15, and once on June 16. The offences were admitted by Robert Irvine Harder, aged 21, unemployed.