TAXI COMPANY’S FUNDS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 184, 3 May 1934, Page 4

TAXI COMPANY’S FUNDS

Charges Against Accountant By Telegraph.—Press Association... Christchurch, May 2. Twenty-four charges of theft of moneys totalling £426, belonging to the proprietor of the company, C. S. Trillo, and eight charges of forgery were preferred in the Supreme Court against Leslie Cecil Johnson, formerly fin accountant and organiser of the Gold Band Taxi Company. . The Crown alleged that Johnson obtained possession of a bank passbook, and in addition had blank cheques which were signed by the proprietor and which were used to pay other accounts. Then, it is alleged, to cover up his tracks,, accused committed forgery and so defrauded the company. Opening for the prosecution, Mr. Donnelly said Trillo knew nothing of business practice, and accused took advantage of this to appropriate the funds. Trillo adopted the dangerous practice of signing blank cheques for accused to fill in. Accused would fill in a cheque for, say, £3O, and make the butt show £lO, taking £2O for himself. He also forged receipts to show that moneys had been paid, although none had been paid. Accused’s methods were crude and would not have lasted a week in a properly organised business. Accused had admitted filling in cheque butts, but said he had lent Trillo money which Trillo would not repay, and he had adopted his own method to recover it. There was evidence of a deficiency of between £6OO and £7OO, and according to the books only £l5O was owing to accused. Several witnesses were called by the Crown, and several more have still to be called. The case is part-heard. Other cases dealt with during the session are:— Edward Milner, charged with supplying a noxious thing to a woman, pleaded guilty and was remanded till Thursday for sentence. 1 Charles Patterson and Benjamin John O’Connell were found not of robbery with violence. The trial of James McGivern on a charge of negligently driving a motorcar on January 30 so as to cause the death of a motor-cyclist, Percy Reynolds Philpott, was exceedingly brief, occupying two hours from the opening to the returning of the jury’s verdict of not guilty. Counsel, for the defence suggested that the motor-cyclist bad travelled at a speed that contributed to the accident. McGivern, who was driving south on the concrete surface of the North Road, endeavoured to pass another car ahead of him, and in swinging out to the riglSt he collided with the motor-cyclist, who was travelling north.