STOLEN CHEQUES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 50, 27 August 1931, Page 19

STOLEN CHEQUES

FORGERY CHARGES

EIGHT OFFENCES ADMITTED

Pleading guilty to eight charges of forging cheques to a total value of £45;' and six further charges of theft of goods and money to the value of £29 18s 6dj. John Cecil Whitelaw Saunders, a factory hand, aged 22, • was committed to. the Supreme Court for sentence by. Mr. E. Page, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. James Richards, a: grocer, said that on 25th April.ho left his coat hanging in his loom at the. Trocadero" Hotel. In the pocket of the coat he left a Post Office Savings book and ■ a.. cheque book. On 27th April he'found that, the books had been .stolon. . The following day he recovered his bank book from the' Post Office.1 The cheque book contained about twenty forms. Witness examined two cheques produced, ,and, v said they had been written on forma taken front his book. Mrs. Olive Coupcr said that in; May she waa acting-manageress '■ of the King's Private Hotel. On sth May her'brother brought :her a cheque. (pro.* ducod) and in consequence of this she spoke to man and asked' him' whereho got: the cheque.. He said he had got it from his boss, Mr. Stott. Witness looked up the telephone directory, and saw there was a Mr. Stott in the D.I.C. Building. She was busy at the time, so she did not bother to ring up Mr. Stott, but gave the man change from the cheque, after deducing a week's board. The chequo was ieturned front the bank with a note stating that there was no account in that name.

Detective- H. E. Campin said that on 13th August he met the accused and interviewed him about the theft of an overcoat, which had subsequntly been sold to a second-hand dealer by a man named Jackson for 12s 6d. The accused said he had taken the overcoat and sold-it to the'dealer. The accused, also admitted that he had stolen' a" watch and chain from a room, at "Donbank," the V.M.C.A. Hostel. Early in June he walked into a house, in Boulcott street and stole a pair of field glasses. On 14th August witness again interviewed the accused iii connection with the cheques stolen from the Troeadero Hotel. The accused denied having stolen the cheque book or knowing anything about the cheques which had been filled in. After an identification parade he admitted filling in the cheques stolen from the Trocadero Hotel, anil said he wished to tell the truth and clear up all the offences lie had committed. He said he had' stolen a cheque book- and had •fiHed> in • the -six cheques produced, and -had «cafilicd'tliemwith various ■ boarding-house • ■ keepers. On the night of the interview witness went to the accusedV lodgings, where he found a :War Pensions Certificate. The accused.said he had found it, but later said he, had stolen a wallet containing the certificate. He said he had taken the ■ certificate out and had thrown the wallet away. He was unaware that the wallet contained £12.