CHARGES DISMISSED

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 October 1931, Page 9

CHARGES DISMISSED

FORGERY AND THEFT ALLEGED

BENZINE SALES MONEY

AIASTERTON, Oct. 12. Eight charges of theft and one of forgery were? preferred against Y\ iiJiam Alexander Hood, motor lorry driver, in thej Police Court to-day. The forgery charge was in respect to an order on the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Distributing Company for certain goods purporting to be signed by Albert Felix Smith. Accused pleaded not guilty. Sergeant T. FI. Dyer stated that accused bad been employed until recently by A. F. Smith ,of Tinui. He had had charge of Smith’s store' of benzine and had admitted to tlie . police selling benzine and receiving money which he had not accounted for to his employer. For the defence, it was stated that Hood had kept the proceeds of the sale as he could not obtain from his employer wages which it was alleged were owing. Accused’s, counsel, Mr. O. O. Marsack, admitted rliat the action would be a most improper one in a business run on proper lines, but submitted that facts in this case did not disclose a" crime, _but a habit of conducting business in slipshod fashion. After hearing evidence, the magistrate, Air. J. Miller, said that lie did not think a jury would convict on the .charge of forgery, so dismissed it. He gave accused the benefit of the doubt on the • charges of theft, and dismissed these also.—“ Dominion” Service.