VALUELESS CHEQUE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 117, 19 May 1937, Page 13

VALUELESS CHEQUE

MOTOR-CYCLE OBTAINED

Pleading guilty to a charge of obtaining a motor-cycle valued, at £100 from a garage proprietor in Cartertpn by presenting a valueless cheque for/£4O, drawn on the Bank of Australasia, Masterton, Randall James Ferguson, a labourer, aged 25, appeared before Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today. ■

/Detective-Sergeant W. Kane appeared for the prosecution. ■

Collingwood Kent Goodwin, a motorcycle dealer, of Carterton, said that in consequence of a telephone message received from a garage employee on April 11 he interviewed the accused and asked him if he wanted to buy a motor-cycle. The accused said he did, and selected one from witness's stock. The accused asked for three weeks' trial, and suggested leaving a cheque. Witness told him the deposit was £40, and agreed to accept his cheque for that ■ amount.. . The.-. accused wrote out a cheque,for- £40,. but signed it with the name of. Roland Ferguson. A hirepurchase agreement was made out. The cheque was banked on April 12. The cycle- was taken away by the accused on April' 11, with,, the understanding that he was to come' back on April 12 arid get the proper number plates for ithe machine. He did not do so. On Wednesday, April 14, he was notified that there was no account which could be drawn on by the cheque. Witness found that the accused had left the district on the Monday night, and later received a telegram from Gisborne that the TiotorcyCle was there. This was on April 28. He'went to Gisborne and took possession of the cycle, which had depreciated in value about £20 or £25.

Detective N. J. McPhee' said that on May 17 he saw the accused at the Wellington prison and obtained an explanation of his dealings with the previous witness. He produced a statement in .which the accused admitted the charge. . .

Ferguson was committeed to the Supreme Court for sentence.