SOLICITORS SUSPENDED.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XIII, Issue XVIII, 5 August 1912, Page 7

SOLICITORS SUSPENDED.

TWO WELLINGTON CASES

BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION

WELLINGTON, Aug. 5

The Court of Appeal suspended "Win. George Somerville for three years, ordered him to pay thirty-five guineas costs and gave him a month in which to close his office. Somerville, who is a barrister, was charged with converting to his own use £1700 of one of his client's money. It was contended he was covered by an agreement with his client, but the Court held that the agreement had not been proved. The Court also suspended J, G O. Stevens, of Otaki, for three years, and ordered him to pay costs. The allegations of professional misconduct against Stevens were set out as follows:—That on October 24, 1910, while acting ostensibly as solicitor for a native woman named Rangiapoa Waikari, but really in the interests of one Sydney Robjohns East, he (Stevens) applied to the Public Trustee for a loan to Rangiapoa Waikari of £1000, on the security of certain land, and that he falsely represented that the loan was required for the purpose of improving certain other lands, whereas the money was (as Stevens well knew) required for the purchase from East of a share in the patent rights of an invention. This invention was for indicating the position of sunken vessels, and was called "The Patent Automatic Wreck Recorder." Stevens, East, and one John Bentick Elaine were the patentees. Both prior to making the application for the loan and afterwards, Stevens persuaded the woman Rangiapoa Waikari to purchase the share in the patent from East, and to mortgage her land for that purpose, well knowing that she had no independent advice, and was not competent to act for herself in the matter. By reason of this persuasion, East obtained £800 from her out of the proceeds of the loan. It appeared from the affidavits filed that the Public Trustee would not have granted the loan if the purpose for which the money was to be used had been correctly stated in the application.