VERDICT OF GUILTY

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 3 May 1934, Page 7

VERDICT OF GUILTY

accountant on trial

CHRISTCHURCH TAXI CASE.

Cbj Telegraph—rress Association.; CHRISTCHURCH, May 3. The 'Supreme Court continued its hearing' of 24 charges oi theft and forgery aagmst Leslie Cecil Johnson, formerly an accountant and. organise!, for the 5 Gold Band Taxis. r lhe amount involved is £426. ~ . . ~ Counsel for the defence said that the case was not one for a criminal prosecution. The prisoner saved Tnllo»s business bv a masterly .stroke of fanance, so that the creditors, who had been clamouring for settlement, actually in' effect lent Tnllo £2OO free, of interest for 15 months. It was hare to believe that Johnson was only to be paid as a junior clerk when he had reallv become the Gold Band Taxis and Trili'o the figure head. The judge said that counsel tor the defence rful addressed the jury eloquently, but there were certain things he Had mentioned which should not influence them. They could get out ox their minds that this was a. case tor a civil settlement. It had been very properly brought before them to bo dealt with as a criminal matter. A voiding of gratitude should not lie ox pcetocT to condone (lie commission e* a crime. ... The jury reiurned a verdict ol guilt > uu the four charges of theft that the Grown had particularised. r llie p*isoner iMns Iremandod for sentence. ti'H tomorrow. On the other theft charges fhei’e was a formal, verdict iof notG nil tv. A stay of proceedings was ap plied for on ‘the forgery counts.