ROBBED BY FORGER

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 December 1929, Page 10

ROBBED BY FORGER

PLAN TO STEAL FORTUNE. How an. ex-inland Revenue clerk planned to rob two elderly women of their entire savings by means of stolen official forms was revealed at Leeds Assizes, when Kenneth Howci’oft, thirty-four, was . sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment. Howcroft recently escaped from the police near Otley,. but was recaptured near Harewood Castle after a long chase. He was charged with bbtairI’h'g Treasury bonds ,by false presences, assuming .the character of an 'inland Revenue. ..Officer, and forging 'deeds and documents with intent'to defraud. Mr C. Paley Scott, prosecuting, explained that the numerous counts on which Howcroft was charged—he denied some of them, but admitted most of the charges—related entirely to one series of transactions, the object ot which, had he been successful, was to strip two elderly ladies —Sophia arid 'Ada Milner, of Ilkley—of their entire fortunes. Prisoner; had at one time been in the service of the Inland Revenue, at one of the Leeds district offices. When

he left that employment he took away -iyith him a, number.of Inland Revenue fbrins,..which- enabled him to produce

document's that appeared to emanate from the Inland Revenue. His scheme was elaborately planned and cleverly carried out. “Howcroft did not hesitate, to forge any docuitoent,” said Mr Scott, “that was necessary for the. transfer... of shares,, or for letters and. receipts.”. Pqsing as an inspector of taxes >frdm Bradford, he called on the Misses Milner arid induced them ,to hand over to him, *‘Bo that they , could be . sent to London for registration,” a Treasury, -b®nd,of the value of £371 17s 6d. Ci ?jachlmd; £4OO worth qf-rp per cent. Wjain stock, £52 12s 7d in the Post Office issue of War stock, in addition to which they owned jointly £7OO in the Mersey ' Docks and?/ Harbour Board, and £l,OOO in the Halifax Corporatioin Theivlibwcroft topk-robms in Manningham lane, Bradford, his intention being to transfer the shares to himself, and he gave the Bank of England a forged notice of a change of address but. he overlooked the fact that the bank would write to the Misses Milner for confirmation and thus his scheme was discovered. Meanwhile, however, he had visited a firm of stockbrokers, with instructions : that they should sell certain securities. Part of these securities was,sold, and Howcroft obtained about £7OO. ' . On behalf of Howcroft, Mr Prince

plerided foi- leniency. He pointed , out. that all the money and. securities had been recovered, with the exception, of £139. Howcroft wished him to say that after serving his sentence and obtaining employment he would repay the' money. - On leaving the Air Force in 1919 he had r a good character. He got work, but lost it through no fault of his own during a trade dispute, Meanwhile, he had, married, and his wife had; a baby, the child taking ill and requiring extra nourishment. “He got into - debt, and into the hands of money-, lenders.” Mr Prince continued. “He then committed the offences.” .;-.rTn passing sentence, Mr Justice Mac-riaghten'-sai'd he had carefully considered everything that had been said in',, mitigation bf the offences, but he could not: impose a sentence of less than twelve months’ imprisonment.