HARD LABOUR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 82, 5 March 1938, Page 10

HARD LABOUR

VALUELESS CHEQUES. SALESMAN’S LAPSE. Three charges alleging false pretences were preferred against Stanley Frederic Temple, an agent, aged 47, of Campbell Street, in tiic Magistrate’s Court to-day before Mr J. L 5, Stout, S.M. Accused was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour. The charges were: (1) That on January 3, .1938, at'Palmerston North, he did, with intent to defraud, obtain from Jesse Selwyn tho sum of £5 by means of a false pretence, a valueless cheque; (2) that on February 7, 1938. at Palmerston North, he did. with intent to defraud, obtain from Wilfred Douglas W'oodham £3 11s 8d by means of a false pretence, a valueless cheque; and, (3) that on December 28, 1937, at Palmerston North, with intent to defraud he did obtain from Edward O’Reilly the sum of £1 16s by means of a false pretence, a valueless cheque. Mr A. M. Ongley, appearing for accused, stated that accused pleaded guilty to all the charges and wished to be dealt with summarily. Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn said that accused, employed by a reputable firm as a salesman, had been allotted the Gisborne district. Less than sLx months ago he had opened ail account with a bank at Gisborne and had operated on it. Accused had come to Palmerston North just prior to Christmas. The first charge arose from the purchase of benzie, the second from the hiring of a rental car, and the third from payment for board at an hotel. Enquiries had been made at Gisborne, and altogether cheques having a total value of £ll4 had been drawn, but only the three mentioned in the charges had been the subject of complaint. Accused had been discharged from gaol on December 2, 1936, after having been sentenced to 18 months’ reformative detention, and prior to that had been admitted to probation for a year, false pretences being the complaint in both cases. Air Ongley submitted that accused came of a good family and was an extremely capable salesman but was working under stress. He was a returned soldier and was in receipt of a pension. In between his lapses he had obtained good positions, but opened a banking account and then overdrew it. He appeared to be quite irresponsible where cheques were concerned.

“I am afraid that on this occasion you must have a sentence of hard labour,” said the Magistrate. “You had one chance of probation, then you had reformative detention. You will be sentenced to three months’ hard labour on the first charge, to two months’ on the second, and to one month on the third, the sentences to be cumulative, thus making six months in all.”