SYSTEM OF FORGERY

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 26, 31 January 1923, Page 5

SYSTEM OF FORGERY

NEARLY £12,000 IN-

VOLVED

FALSE GOVERNMENT CHEQUES

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR

SENTENCE.

An unusual and extensive system of forgery was described at the -Magistrate's Oonrt to-di»y, when three young men, William Holland Makin, 29 years of age, Leonard Walter Makin, 28 years of age, and Percy Dowling Hawkins, 36 years of age, appeared before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., on eighteen charges of forging the name of G. I. Beeaon to Government cheques. The total amount involved was £11,739 9s, the majority of the cheques being drawn for about £700. Detective Nuttall prosecuted, Hawkins was represented by Mr. A. W. Blair, and Mr. L. Etherington appeared for the two-Makins. Detective Nuttall 'said that on 29th December, 1922, the accused Hawkins called at the Detective Office, Wellington, and informed witness that he was the third party connected with the forging of Government cheques. He said that he had consulted his solicitor, and had made up his mind to tell the truth about the whole affair, HOW THE CHEQUES WERE OBTAINED. Hawkins made the following statement :— " I am a single man, and reside at Moturata, Feilding.. I am twenty-eight years of age. Some time last October— I think it would be about the end of October—l visited William , Holland Makin at his farm at Moturata. His brother Leonard was there at the. time. After I had been staying at his house a few days, conversation cropped up between the three of us concerning Government cheques. At the time of this conversation William Holland Makin had a cheque from the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Department. "The three of us discussed a scheme, and we thonght that if we could get Wank cheques from the Discharged Soldiers' Department and fill them in ourselv«s and forge Beeeon's signature, it would be possible to operate them. About the beginning of November, 1922, I came to Wellington to the purpose of trying to get some of the blank cheques." Witnees went on to describe how he and B. W. Makin went to the D.S.S. Office early one morning, unscrewed the staple from a locked cupboard, and took a cheque-book. They went to the Bank of New Zealand at Palmerston North arid presented a cheque for about £60. " Bill " Makin asked if he could pay a cheque into his account at the post office, and the accountant said he could. This was done to see if the banks would pay cash on the cheques. AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAMME. . To make the scheme workable they came to the coneluiiion that they would have to open accounts at the different banks. Hawkins made out twenty-three cheques on various banks in Taranaki, Wanganui, Marton, Palmerston; Masterton, Carterton, and five towna in Hawkes Bay. He made oat the body of the cheques, and understood the other two "were going to sign them. It whs arranged that he shonld work the towns in Hawkes Bay, Bill from Marton to New Plymouth, and "Bunny" to Wairarapa. Ha left Feilding on his motor-bike, and when about four miles out dismounted and burnt the cheques. Everything in connection with the. cheques that were not used he took with him on the bike. The cheques he burnt were those which he was to operate in Hawkes Bay. After burning the cheques he went to Wanganui, and about 11 o'clock one night he took the remaining cheques and stationery in a sugar bag with a stone in it and threw them into the river. He did not go to Hawkes Bay, and made no arrangements for opening accounts there. Had the scheme been successful it was not intended to withdraw the full amounts by cheques deposited at various banks. On 30th December, the detective said,, he interviewed the accused Leonard Walter Makin at the Terrace Gaol, and the latter corroborated Hawkins's statement.^ William Holland Makin was brought under arrest to Wellington on 13th January. He had written out a statement and had signed it in the presence of the witness. PLAN FURTHER EXPLAINED. The following is the statement: "My brother 'Bunny' and .Percy Hawkins were staying with me at Feilding. During the first day or two of their stay I received a cheque from the Lands Department. One evening we were discussing some, case in the paper of a 'Get-Rioh-Quick-Wallingford' scheme, and I had the Department's cheques in my hand; and I think I made some remark to the effect that if a man had a few of these cheques he could easily work a scheme. At that time I was only joking, of course. A few days later Percy said he was going to Wellington to get some cheques. He returned some days later, and said ho had been up to the Department several mornings between 6.30 and 7.30 consecutively, and had searched for the cheques, without avail, but had come to the conclusion that they were in a certain cupboard Several days passed, dining which, 'Bunny' and Percy were continually together, and they at length decided to go to Wellington together. On their return they told me they had taken the lock off the cupboard and taken a whole book of cheques. I have forgotten to mention Percy brought back with him on the first occasion a book with a cancelled cheque. . . . We decided to open accounts at various banks to enable the cheques to be paid in. Percy allotted himself from Napier down, my«self New Plymouth, and 'Bunny' Palmerston . North and the Wairarapa. . 'Bnnny' went to Wellington, and one morning obtained a book of forms similar to one I had received from the Department. I 'typed* the forms out, and 'Bunny' took them to Wellington and posted them to the various banks. "GETTING FED UP." "All this time I was getting more and more fed up with the whole scheme. On the Thursday morning before Christmas I went into the Bank of Australasia and inquired if a cheque for T. Welle had arrived. The clerk informed me 'yes,' and requested me to 'see the manager. While waiting to see the manager I definitely decided I would finish with the scheme. After signing the cheque in the Bank of Australasia, I left the manager's room, and proceeded to leave the bank and was arrested on the- steps of the bank. Had I not decided to finish with the scheme then and there I should have endeavoured to operate the cheque before leaving the bank." The three accused had initialled sixtesn forged cheques, but the remaining two had not come to hand. The accused had admitted that all the cheques were forged, Cross-examined by Mr. Blair: At the time that the accused Hawkins called at the Detective Office, the police had ab-

solutely no idea who the "third person" was. Circumstances had pointed to some person in the Discharged -Soldiers' Settlement Department being implicated;but- Hawkins's explanation cleared all doubt thrown upon officials. Evidence was also given by Gordon Iran Beeson, accountant, attached to the Lands and Survey Department; Edwin Clement Evans, accountant of the Union Bank of Australia; Masterton; Reginald B. Hart, teller of the Bank .of" ' New South Wales, Carterton.; .Wilfred:" H. Robertshaw, manager of the Bank of Australasia, New Plymouth; Henry Allender Robertson, teDer of the Bank of New South Wales, Wangsoni; and David* Owen Lamont Howden, accountant of the Bank of New Zealand, Masterton. The witness Beeson identified the cheques produced as being the property of his department, and stated that ,he was the only person authorised to sign ■ Mich cheques. The remaining witnesses identified the Makme as men who had come to their varions basks, opened accounts in fictitious names, and had subsequently received cheques for sums in' the region nf £700 from the Betnrned Soldiers' Settlement Department, which. cheques had been paid into th« account* opened. • At the conclusion of the case for the prosecution, the accused, who pleaded ' guilty, were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was fixed at £600 in the case of each of the Mafedns, * _ condition being that they_ must stoyi in' Wellington and report twice daily toHther police. No application for bail was mad* on behaK of Hawkins. ■