Falsified the Books

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 202, 25 November 1925, Page 3

Falsified the Books

BANK MANAGER’S LAPSE. PLEADS-GUILTY TO 51 CHARGES. (Per Press Association). New Plymouth, Noy. 24. Fifty-nine charges of falsifying the books of a bank, forging and uttering cheques, and stealing sums of money I totalling £<’2oB 3s 6d were preferred | against Wi liam Kerr, ex-manager ot j the Stratford branch of the Union Bank of Australia, in the Supreme Court at New Plymiuth to-day, Kerr i pleaded guilty to 54 of the charges and not guiltv to the remainder, on which he stood his trial, being acquitted by the jury on four of the five counts ano convicted on one of false pretences, a charge which the judge (Mr. Justice Ostler) had directed the jury to acquit. Kerr will be Sentenced to-morrow. The charges on which Kerr pleaded guilty had reference to defalcations from the bank totalling £6561 3s 6d. The defalcations had been made by the accused opening accounts jh the bank books in fictitious names, receiving authority to make overdrafts and then obtaining money by false cheques, con verting it to hi s own use for investment in milling timber rights in the South Island.

The five counts on which the accused denied guilt rclvried to alleged tiansactions with William Henry Barion. builder, of Stratford. These charges centred round two alleged transactions. In the first three charges it was alleg cd that on May 6. 1924. the accused had committed forgery by altering one of Barlow’s cheques for £3 to one foi £350. that knowing the cheque to he fa.se he had caused the hank to act upon it as if it were genuine and that having cashed the cheque, he had stolen the proceeds, amounting to £347.

The other alleged transaction which was made the subject of two charges, was also with Barlow. It was alleged against the accused that on February 2, 1925, with intent to defraud, lie had obtained from Barlow the sum of £3OO by falsely representing that one, T. A. Sullivan wished to borrow that amount. On the same set of circumstances Kerr was charged with stealing the money thus obtained. It was on the first of these last two charges that Kerr was convicted.

THREE YEARS’ HARD LABOUR. New Plymouth, Nov. 25. In the Supreme Court, William Kerr, ex-manager of the Union Bank at Stratford, who pleaded guilty to 54 charges of theft, forgery and falsifying tlie books, and found guilty of obtaining £3OO by false pretences from H. W. Barlow, was sentenced to three years’ hard labour. PIKI FOUND GUILTY. Nelson, Nov, 24. In the Supreme Court to-day. before Mr. Justice MacGregor. John Tipori Martin Piki, formerly accountant in the Post Office Savings Bank, Nelson, was found guilty of the theft of two sums amounting to £ll 12s. and was remanded for sentence.