TIMBER FRAUD CHARGE

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1944, Page 2

TIMBER FRAUD CHARGE

. Jury Again Disagree THIRD TRIAL GRANTED. P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 24. After a retirement of nearly; four hours, the jury in the Supreme Court to-day failed to agree in the case of Wilfred Henry-Banks, timber merchant aged 39, who is charged with alleged false pretence. It was the second trial of Banks, the jury also failing to agree at the first trial. Both trials lasted four days. When the disagreement was announced to-day, Mr. A. W. Brown, for the Crown, moved for a third trial and the application was granted by Mr. Justice Northcroft. The charge against Banks was that, on February! 28, 1943, at Christchurch, he had, with intent to defraud, obtained from the United States Joint Furchasing Board, the sum of £2BO Is 3d for the Papanui Timber Company, by means of a certain false pretence by falsely representing that the grade or qualtity of timber supplied by that company to the board was higher or better than the grade or quality of the said timber in fact, vzas.