MONEY BY FRAUD

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 70, 15 December 1932, Page 3

MONEY BY FRAUD

Valueless Cheques Used POLICE COURT CASES Juggling with banking accounts and cheque-forms led to the appearance before Mr. E. Page, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday of Cyril Thomas Millar, aged 23 (Mr. J. D. Willis), who pleaded guilty to three charges of fraudulently obtaining money by means of valueless cheques. Millar has spent the last month in hospital. He will spend the next six months in gaol. On November 11, Sub-Inspector Ward said, Millar met an acquaintance who had just come out of gaol, and who had money due to him and payable by the probation officer. Millar and his friend decided to collect the money and to go out to Petoue, where Millar received the cash from his companion, opened a bank account and received a cheque-book. The money was withdrawn later and they came to Wellington, where another bank account was opened aud another chequebook obtained. Three cheques were made out in Mr. Eric Riddiford’s name, and Millar’s companion uttered them. In this way two tickets, a leather coat and some money were obtained. They afterward secured the use of a motorcar and drove away with it, having a rather serious accident in the country. Millar was injured and had been in hospital for the last month. His companion was in a mental hospital. Millar had a fairly lengthy list of previous convictions, said Sub-Inspector Ward. Mr. Willis, while he realised that it was difficult to say anything in mitigation of the offences, suggested to the Court that Millar had been influenced by his companion. He had, moreover, suffered a great deal as a result of the accident. The magistrate sentenced Millar to six months’ imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent. Other Charges. Charged jointly with breaking and entering Mr. A. V. Dallow's house at Island Bay, and stealing goods valued at £5/1/-, Walter Clyde Sutherland, labourer, aged 37 (Mr. A. B. Sievwright) aud Athol Jordon Buckley, aged 24 (Mr. R. Hardie Boys), were remanded until Wednesday next. Sutherland was charged also with stealing goods and money to a total value of £5, and was similarly remanded. Bail was granted Sutherland in a bond of £5O with one surety of £5O, but was refused to Buckley, against whom, according to SubInspector Ward, a serious charge was pending. The police believe, moreover, that Buckley intended to leave the Dominion. Leslie Cecil McCarthy, aged 23 (Mr. J. D. Willis), pleaded guilty to two charges of forging money-order telegram receipts, and to a charge of handing in a telegraph message signed with the name of some fictitious person. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. A charge of fraudulently obtaining £ll/1.1/- by means of a valueless cheque was preferred against William Edwin Goodwin and Muriel Olive Forbes Goodwin (Mr. R..Hardie Boys). They were remanded until Wednesday next, and in each, case bail was allowed in a bond of £5O with a surety of £5O.