Dunedin Bank Fraud

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 1423, 19 June 1936, Page 7

Dunedin Bank Fraud

A PLEA OF GUILTY Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Last Night. “The police are entitled to congratulations for their promptitude and skill.” stated Mr. H. W. Bundle, S.M., this morning when James Alexander Fleming, aged 20, a former bank employee, pleaded guilty to two charges of forgery, and was committed for sentence. The case was a sequel to the daring bank fraud ou Juuc ti, the accused being charged' with forging a bill of exchange ou tho Bank of New Zealand at Wellington for £S34 Ills Sd and also with procuring a young woman to cause the bill to bo acted upon. Alexander Chisholm, a teller, gave evidence that at 11.20 a.m. on June 6 a woman presented a bill purporting to be signed by the head of the bills department. The document also boro what purported to be the initials of the baulc manager, with instructions to cash it. Shortly after the woman left witness became suspicions, and after inquiry, reported to tilie police. A public typist, whose name was suppressed, stated that on June 4 sho received a letter through her letter box which purported to bo from one A. G. Spence. ’Flic envelope contained a pencilled letter, a pencilled bill of exchange, and a blank bill. Witness’s instructions were to type a letter from lihe pencilled oue, type a blank bill from the pencilled one, and forward the completed work to Spence at the Post Office.

Another young woman, a clerk attending a commercial .-ollege, stated that, on Juue 5 tho director of tho college said he- had given her name to a person applying for a clerk. Witness’s telephone number Iliad been supplied to this person, and later a man calling himself Jenkins telephoned her, telling her that she was appointed to the position, and was to go to the Post Offico for a letter. She did tihis, receiving papers aud instructions to cash tho bill of exchange, put the money iu an attache case, and deliver it at the office of Gold Band Taxis with a letter. Witness cashed the bill and followed the instructions'.

Joan Griffin, employed by Gold Band Taxis, said that the previous witness handed in an attache case and letter which were given lo a taxi-driver to deliver, as the instructions: said to Cavendish Chambers, which he did. The renia’ der of the evidence described how suspicion fell on tho accused, resulting in his arrest some hours later, when £774 was recovered in the attache case and £2O in the accused’s pockets.