£17,260 THEFTS AND FALSE PRETENCES

Grey River Argus, 6 October 1949, Page 7

£17,260 THEFTS AND FALSE PRETENCES

Charged Against Two Young Men At Wairoa

GISBORNE, October 5

Thirty-eight charges of false pretences, and two of theft, concerning alleged motor-vehicle transactions involving £17,260 15s 4d-, were preferred against .William McLue Ford, aged 25, a carpenter, of 167 Sutherland Road, Lyall Bay, and Desmond Paul O’Connor, aged- 23, clerk, of 3 Randwick Road, Northland, in the Magistrate’s Court. The charges related to the period between March 11 and May 26, 1949, and were connected with alleged deals in 23 cars, 14 trucks, and two tractors. There are to be 44 witnesses.

Charles Archie Darcy Blackburn, accountant and district agent for the New Zealand Guarantee Corporation, said that about March 9 last the accused approached him for finance for a motor dealer’s licence in Gladstone Road, previously known as A.V.C. Motors, and later as Deluxe Motors. The accused said he had received £3OOO from the sale of a yacht and declared he had book debts amounting to £450. Witness received head office consent to finance the company, and he recalled 44 transactions. One car sold, on which a finance company had advanced £448 8s 3d, had been taken by the accused with others to Hawke’s Bayi and sold for £2OO. Witness was not! advised the car had been repossessed from the buyer, and the accused had no authority from the corporation to sell it. The accused said they received £2'oo for the sale of the car, and had to pay solicitors. Mr J. K. Fabrau, of Napier (for the defence) cross-examined witness, who said the accused had been introduced by J. C. Beecher, who announced he was selling his business to the accused, and asked for extension of the same finance facilities as he had received.

Sale of the yacht was confirmed by Beecher, and also book debts. Witness denied recommending the corporation to finance the accused without inquiries about them. After a conditional purchaser in Wairoa had complained to head office that figures were incorrect, further business with the accused through witness' firm was suspended. FURTHER EVIDENCE P.A. GISBORNE, October 5. Further evidence was heard by the Justices of the Peace this afternoon on the charges. Andrew Dysart, managing director of Ross, Dysart and McLean, Ltd., motor dealers, Napier, said that, on June 17, he bought a sedan car from Ford and another man for £2OO. Ford, who stated he represented Deluxe Motors, Gisborne, handed over a certificate and change of ownership papers. Accused gave him no idea the car was already under a hire purchase agreement. Te Hira Baker, a factory hand, said that about April 1, 1'949, he went to J. C. B. Motors to return a Morris car. At the time Beecher arranged to sell him a Chevrolet from Deluxe Motors, the price being £435 or £425. Beecher sold his Morris car, and witness expected some of that money to go towards- the purchase of the Chevrolet. Witness had to pay £290 on lime payment for the Morris, of which he paid £6O. He signed a hire purchase agreement. Witness did not read the document, and it was neither read nor interpreted to him. After a month, witness took the car back to Beecher, because it was too expensive on petrol. Beecher told him to take the car back to Deluxe Motors. There was no one there, and he just left the car outside.

Herewith Ngaranoa, a labourer, said that, on May 10, 1949, he bought a Vauxhall sedan from Deluxe Motors for £360. Witness traded in a Morris Cowley. The price was never mentioned, but he supposed that the price allowed 'would be £lOO. He dealt with O’Connor first, and Ford after. Witness signed a hire purchase form. He did not notice any writing or typing on it when he signed it, and there was no interpreter present. John Peter Baty, a well-boring contractor, of Mangakino, produced a hire purchas e agreement form dated May 6, 1949, referring to the sale of a Ford truck by Deluxe Motors to him. The price was £475. Witness said he paid £lOO by cheque as a deposit. He signed a number of blank promissory notes. He recognised O'Connor as the man with whom he dealt. Witness still had this truck.

Henry Lafbrock, aged 18, a farm hand, of Wairoa, said he had a Morris S motor car, purchased from Deluxe Motors, with a £2O deposit. Witness said that he was told the price of the car would be “round about £200”. H e signed a hire purchase agreement form, which was blank. Witness did not know the two accused. He dealt with Beecher, but Dick Graham got him to sign the papers. To Mr Fabian —witness said he did not know who Dick Graham was, but knew he worked at the Delux e Motors. Witness was told that by Beecher.

Tom Edwards, shearer, of Ruatahuna, produced a hire purchase agreement which he had signed on April 12, 1949, dealing with th e purchase of a Hudson truck from Deluxe Motors. He bought a car from Beecher, and paid £75 on it at the time. He had traded it in on a Hudson truck as a deposit. Waka Clarke, labourer, of Tolaga Bay, said that about April 1, 1949, he bought a Ford coupe from the accused at £270, signing an agreement and promissory notes. He traded in a Chevrolet, for which he had paid £290 odd, and the deal was supposed to be a straight swap. Jack P. Tawea, fishmonger, of Ruatoria, said that he bought a V 8 motor van from Deluxe Motors on April 20, 1949, for £3OO, and witness’ agent paid £5O deposit, and signed papers. ■ George Eeattie, railway surfaceman, Wairoa, said he bought a truck from Deluxe Motors on May 10 last for £lOO, at £5 monthly. A fortnight earlier he had ’ igned a hire purchase agreement for a motor-cycle, and was told that these papers would do foi’ the ti’uck. Some time later he was notified by the Finance Corporation that the truck would cost £5 13s lid for 23 months, and that the selling price was £165, with £65 deposit.

When witness replied denying th e figures, he was visited by a man from Deluxe Motors, who said that witness had made a mistake in writing to the Corporation, and that the letter had “put them in a fix”. A week later the same man asked witness to write to the Corporation. A visitor wrote a letter, which witness signed. There was no truth in the letter, in which he said that a motor-cycle valued at £65 had been traded in as a deposit on the truck. Witness received £65 from the firm for a motor-cycle he had not owned.

Ernest Paul Greening, contractor, of Hastings, said he bought a Dodge truck from O’Connor for £550, but figures in a hir e purchase agreement showing the price as £950, with £4OO deposit, were incorrect. The .same ’applied to figures shown for the purchase of a tractor. He paid O’Connor £l4OO for two trucks and a tractor, but he never got receipts. Regarding a hir G purchase agreement for a tractor he was alleged to have bought from Deluxe Motors for £2375, with £950 deposit, witness said that the tractor did not exist. He later told the Finance Corporation in Wellington that contracts and promissory notes for the truck and “non-existent tractor” had been falsified according to an agreement with O’Connor. The hearing was adjourned.