“WANTED” MAN FREED THROUGH ERROR

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 221, 15 June 1934, Page 10

“WANTED” MAN FREED THROUGH ERROR

Mistake in Document EXTRADITION ACTION WHICH FAILED A clerical error made by an official in Melbourne in drawing up a provisional warrant for the extradition of an Australian company promoter "wanted” by the New Zealand police, enabled the man, for the time being at all events, to go free. When Detective-Sergeant Jarrold, of Wellington, returned from Melbourne this week, he reported that a magistrate there had quashed extradition proceedings on a technical point, ami that the man Mr. Jarrold had been sent to bring back had walked out of the court and had disappeared. The man-in respect of whom extradition proceedings were initiated is Charles Ernest Vickers, whose presence in Wellington is required in connection with a charge of obtaining money by false pretences in the Dom.nion. Vickers was arrested •by the Melbourne police on April 29 on a provisional warrant issued at the instance of the New Zealand police. The warrant charged him that at Manaia in 1930 he obtained £lOOO from James John Patterson, dairy-farmer, with intent to defraud him by falsely representing that the Craftsman Manufacturing Company of New Zealand had purchased the patent rights to a motorcar headlamp reflector for New Zealand, and allegedly representing that the dies used to manufacture the reflector cost the New Zealand company £12,000. Unusual Procedure. Vickers was released on ball of £5OO, and remanded from time to time awaiting the arrival of a police escort from New Zealand. But instead of being brought before the usual police magistrate in Melbourne he was caused to appear before another magistrate, it is believed by arrangement with the solicitor for the defence, who raised objection to the provisional warrant. The solicitor contended that the document was informal in that it set out that tlife offence was alleged to have been committed in the State of Victoria, instead of in New Zealand. The solicitor acting for the Crown pointed out that the fault in the warrant was’ a clerical error on the part of the officer in Melbourne who had drawn up the document. He submitted that the magistrate had power to amend the warrant, and, further, that on production of the original warrant the provisional one was thereby exhausted. It was also contended by the Crown that as Vickers was before the court on the original warrant he was therefore properly before the court. However, the magistrate upheld the submission of the defence and' dismissed the charge. The position is curious In that had Vickers been taken in the usual way before the police magistrate he would have had to surrender his bond and enter the dock, but having been brought before a magistrate in another court he was allowed to sit on a seat near the door, and at some stage of the proceedings calmly walked out and has not since been seen. The whole position is being considered by the Crown solicitor in Wel-ing-ton in conjunction with the police with a view to "appropriate action.” In the meantime Vickers has vanished, the Melbourne police, as far as is known, having no information as to his whereabouts. Another Mon in England. 1 Another man also “wanted” by the New Zealand police in connection with the same affair is Ernest Mabin Gilmour, a company manager of New Zealand. He ■ was recently arrested in Loudon and extradition proceedings against him are under way. Tlie police here in the meantime are waiting for advice from England. It has not been decided whether a police escort will be sent from New Zealand to bring Gi incur out. Sometimes in such cases the captain of the ship takes care of an extradited person and sees that he is delivered safely to the police authorities.