“BEAUTIFUL WORK”

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 July 1939, Page 4

“BEAUTIFUL WORK”

JUDGE ADMIRES FORGERIES. Specimens of the work of a forger, whose career has been checked by a sentence of five years’ penal servitude, aroused the admiration of Mr Justice Stable at Manchester Assizes. They were executed by Wilfred Hammond Stakes, aged 30, printer, formerly of Chorlton-on-Mediock, who almost collapsed when he heard his punishment. Stakes pleaded guilty to obtaining money by means of forged Post Office savings-books, and asked for 13 other similar offences to be taken into account.

According to Mr Wingate Saul, prosecuting, Stakes had systematical!}' defrauded the Post Office, and twice previously had been sentenced for similar offences He would go to a post office and open a savings account in a fictitious name with a deposit of about 5/-. He then altered the date on which the payment-in was made, and altered the sum of money which had been paid in to a larger sum, which he withdrew.

Mr Justice Stable: A most deliberate, carefully planned, and methodical crime.

“Stakes’ only error,” added Mr Wingate Saul, “was that in a die which he made to resemble a Post Office date stamp he put the word ‘Skipton,’ whereas the official stamp bore the words, ‘Skipton, Yorks.’.” A number of forged savings books pages and a drawing of the medallion which, appears on savings stamps were found on Stakes when he was arrested. At liis home were a printing press and attempted reproductions of savings stamps. When counsel handed to the Judge a savings book in which it’

I was stated an entire page had been specially printed by Stakes, the Judge commented: “Beautifu,l work.” Police evidence showed' that at the back of a shop in Manchester was found a printing press used for printing pages which Stakes inserted in savings books. Stakes was said to be a native of Bradford, Yorks, and to be married with one child, At one time he was in business on his own account as a’ letterpress printer. The forgeries, a police officer declared, were regarded as very good specimens and sufficient to deceive an ordinary person. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Stable told Stakes: “In my view you. are a man who is a criminal because he likes it. You take a pride in the ingenuity and skill that you display in forging these instruments. I "A great deal of time and a great deal of ingenuity and a certain amount of capital must have been devoted to fitting you up with a firstclass forger’s plant.”