TOTE TICKET CHARGE

Grey River Argus, 20 January 1943, Page 6

TOTE TICKET CHARGE

ALTERATION OF NUMBERS ALLEGED. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 18. A man, aged 69, whose name the Magistrate ordered to be suppressed, was charged to-day before Mr. E. C. Levvey, S.M., with falsely representing that a totalisator ticket was true and valid for the amount of £27 6s 6d. He pleadeTl not guilty. The police said that the ticket had been handed in to a pay-out window at the Riccarton races when the racehorse Lord Nuffield had paid a big dividend in the seventh race. The accused had handed over a ticket on which the numbers had been altered from 11 to 1, the latter being the number of the winner of the race.

R. J. G. Collins, a' payout clerk, said that the accused had come to ms window on November 29 and had passed over the ticket which was produced in Court. He was about to stamp it preparatory to paying out the money when he noticed what looked like an erasure. “I said, 'What is this supposed to be?’ and the accused stated that he had found the ticket and asked was it all right. ' The witness said that the machine had not been printing well in that race, the weather was wet, and that the payout clerks were paying more than trie usual attention to the tickets. There was a double check on tickets, he said. The numeral was printed and also spelled out. “We have had a number of try-ons',” he said, “and have been caught. It ’.s the public’s opinion that if a ticket like this is presented the club is the sufferer. This is not so. the clerk at the window is the victim.” The accused was informed that the ticket would be referred to the manager. The clerk then closed the window and went to the manager. Mr. E. S. Bowie; for the accused, pointed cut that he would have had time to decamp if he had had a guilty conscience. Instead he remained at the window for several minutes. “1 think the onus is on the Crown to prove the false pretence, that the man had a guilty mind, and the fact that he tried to get money.on the false pretence,” said Mr. Bowie. The accused said he had regularly attended race meetings for the last four years. He said, “If the money had been paid out I would have told the clerk to hold the ticket. I would not have collected it.” He also said that if he had known the ticket was no pood he would have torn it up. “It’s the first time he’s tried it. 1 must give him that. He would be wise not to go to races if he can’t keep off this kind of thing.” said the Magistrate when ordering the accused to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months.