COUNSEL’S ADDRESSES FOR DEFENDANTS IN TOTE FORGERY TRIAL

Grey River Argus, 7 May 1948, Page 3

COUNSEL’S ADDRESSES FOR DEFENDANTS IN TOTE FORGERY TRIAL

P.A. AUCKLAND, May 6. Evidence for the Crown, and addresses by counsel were completed in the case concerning alleged betting frauds at Ellerslie racecourse, which was continued before the Chief Justice, Sir Humphrey O’Leary, to-day. Three men appeared on 113 charges of forgery, uttering, theft, and conspiring to’defraud, relating to offences with totalisator tickets between November, 1947, and March. 1948. The accused were Neville Wolfe, aged 30. clerk (Mr Moody); John Proctor Savage, aged 27, labourer (Mr R. Robinson); and Douglas Gordon, aged 45, machine operator (Mr M. Robinson).

Senior Detective F. N. Anlin said that a check on totalisator tickets at Ellerslie revealed several forgeries. Witness gave evidence on the lines of the Crown Prosecutor’s opening address. At the detective office, said witness, Wolfe made ■ a statement. Wolfe said that, about a year ago he was out of work, and Savage had talked about altering totalisator tickets, and he (Wolfe) decided to make some stamps out of linoleum. He had a set of valueless tickets, numbered - to 24. from which he copied numbers for stamps. When he was altering tickets at Ellerslie, he operated only on £5 tickets. Savage cashed them, and they divided the proceeds. They picked a horse, bought a ticket on it, and, if it did not win, he altered the ticket and punched on it the v.umber of the winning horse. He carried out this in the lavatories. Witness said, .that Gordon, in his statement, denied that he knew Wolfe and Savage were involved in the forgery and uttering of totalisator tickets. Evidence was given by K. M. Griffin, Government Analyst. _ that he identified tickets as forgeries by testing them. No evidence for the defence was called. , T -r, , • On behalf of Savage. Mr Robinson said that the accused appeared on 108 charges relating to 20 transactions, involving thirty-four £5 tickets. He submitted that most of the charges were inferential, as there was no’ evi-' dence that Savage was on the racecourse before March 27. Exchanging money on the course was a regular practice, and the fact that he had marked £5 notes in his possession did not prove his guilt. Mr Robinson said that no forged tickets were found on Gordon, and no material with which to forge them. His client did not know that tickets which he had cashed were forgeries. The collecting of dividends from friends was a usual practice by racegoers, and, in this case, Savage was lucky to win, and gave his friend, Gordon, some of the money. Mr Moody, for Wolfe, said that he did not suggest that the accused’s statement was not obtained by the police involuntarily, but, as he had Pleaded not guilty, he was entitled to have the case against him proved. Counsel thought that other people inside Wolfe were concerned in the alleged frauds. x Referring to the statement, Mr Moody said that it was not often that candour of this sort was heard in Court. There was not enough evidence in the conspiracy charges to convict Wolfe alone, and he invited the jury to make a recommendation in his case. , ~ His Honour reserved his summing up until to-morrow, after which the jury will consider their verdict.