FORGED WITHDRAWAL SLIPS

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 78, 1 April 1920, Page 7

FORGED WITHDRAWAL SLIPS

AN ADMISSION AND AN UNUSUAL

DEFENCE.

A very unusual defence was raised' by a young- married woman named Grace Smith) when she^was charged at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon with having on different dates between 23rd December, 1918, and 27th January, 1919, forged the names of 'Eileen Ward, Rhoda,'Daly, and Mrs. -B. 'M. Smith to Post Office Savings Bahk withdrawal slips for amounts aggregating £102 10s— £16 10s from Eileen Ward, £22 from Rhoda Daly, and £64 from Mrs. Smith. Her modus operandi had been much the • Same in.all cases. She had contrived to obtain the books, from \houses which she had either visited or stayed at, and had then filled in the withdrawal slips over the forged names arid had presented them with the books; at the Post Office Savings Bank counter. , Mr. 0. A.'.L. Treadwell, who appeared for the accused, said thafj she did not deny that she had operated on. the ac; counts, but there were such unusual circumstances behind, her action that he proposed to depart from the usual lower Court procedure and'- to hand to .the Magistrate, Mr. E. Page, a 'statement outlining her defence.. 1 Connsel then read .the statement, which was to the effect that the. accused had been married to one Robert Smith in September, 1917, and in the following January the husband was called up for active service. However, he deserted the forces and his wife saw nothing more of him till November, .1918, when .she met him by chance in Wellington. He then told her that.he was in desperate need of money and dejnanded*that sic should obtain ;money for him. :- On her threatening, to tell the police of his whereabouts the man had. threatened to do her violence, 1 and also threatened her with dire punishment unless she obtained money for him. At his bidding she obtained possession of the bank books, and on each occasion he accompanied her to the Post Office and took possession of the whole 'of the money she obtained. ... She herself retained none of the sums withdrawn.; Her husband, she said, had frequently threatened to do her violence, even to kill her, and once struck at her when.she was holding her baby, but'the blow fell not on her but on the child," Her husband had been desperate when she saw him, and she was in fear that unless she did as she was ordered by 'him.some harm would be done to her. Counsel pointed out that the witnesses for the prosecution had stated in their evidence that the accused had* been frank about the matter after her arrest at Palmeretqn North by Sergeant Rtzpatrick, though natnrally she had- endeavoured to keep away from the poltee/for as long as possible.

The Magistrate formally committed the accused for trial at the Supreme Court.