VALUELESS CHEQUES

Evening Star, Issue 22718, 4 August 1937, Page 8

VALUELESS CHEQUES

MOTOR SALESMAN'S OFFENCES ‘ THREE MONTHS' HARD LAIOUR A sentence of three months’ imprisonment with hard labour was imposed on William Arthur Pitts alias Robert William Malcolm (32) in the Police Court to-day when he admitted two charges of issuing valueless cheques to publicans in Auckland and Hamilton. Chief-detective Young said that on May 22 Pitta was employed as a motor salesman at Auckland, and on that date bought a blank cheque, made it but for £3 10s, and earned it with Nelson Culpan, the licensee of the Metropolitan Hotel. He had been £2 short in his cash, and subsequently used the money he secured from the cheque to make up the deficit. Pitts then went to Hamilton and incurred a debt for board of 19s 6d. There he tendered to Albert George Carter, the licensee of another hotel, a further cheque for £3 10s. After some hesitation Carter accepted the cheque and returned him £2 10s 6d in change. He later came on to Dunedin. Pitta was a bird of passage with quite a formidable list of convictions in New Zealand, New South Wales, and South Australia. He was last charged in October of last year, and was released from prison in March of this year. Mr G. V. Murdoch, who 'appeared for Pitts, told the court that he had been divorced and now had two children dependent on him. Counsel suggested that he was not endowed with any cunning criminal propensities. His conduct was more stupid than anything else. His trouble was that he was afraid of hard work.-

“ The accused has quite a long history in this and other courts,” remarked Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., who then traversed Pitts’s list. “He has been treated with every leniency and consideration, but in. view of his record it is hopeless to ask that further consideration should be extended to him. He will be sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour, the sentences to be concurrent.’^