ALLEGATION OF CONSPIRACY

Northern Advocate, 30 January 1936, Page 7

ALLEGATION OF CONSPIRACY

EX-DETECTIVE CHARGED

SYDNEY, January 29.

The hearing was resumed today, at the _ Central Police Court, Sydney, of the'case in which a former detective, John Ellis Findlay, aged 40, was charged with having conspired to pervert the course of justice by .aiding a prisoner, William Campbell, to abscond from bail and escape to New Zealand.

Accused was further charged, together with Ernest Pierce Coombe, 40, agent, and Charles Richard Tanser, 52, agent, with conspiring with William Campbell and William Holland Makin to defraud several persons of large sums of money. Alleged Bogus Company.

A statement, alleged to be made by Campbell, was produced by Sergeant Thornley. This referred to shares in the “Chargol Proprietary Syndicate.” which, according to the statement, was a bogus concern. Ten £lO shares were alleged to have been sold to RearAdmiral Feakes, and, from the proceeds, a sum of £25 was alleged to have been paid to Findlay. Sergeant Thornley said he had told Findlay that Campbell had made a statement declaring he had paid money to Findlay, in connection with certain offences, which Campbell had admitted, and that Findlay had assisted him to leave Sydney by' the Monowai for New Zealand. Witness said he took Findlay to police headquarters in November. There he made two statements on separate dates, and later certain lockers in the detective office were opened and documents in them were examined by Detective James. Further Statements.

Sergeant Thornley also tendered further long statements, alleged to have been made by Campbell, but these were admitted only as evidence against Campbell. Witness then produced a statement alleged to have been made by Tanser, in which the latter said that about £4OO and between 16,000 and 18,000 Chargol shares were to come to him. Tanser stated that a solicitor named Desmond was acting on his behalf in New Zealand. He remembered a cablegram being sent to Desmond in Wellington saying: “I will accept £20,000 for the Australian rights, and give you permission to grant an option for the purchase of the New Zealand rights.” Cross-examined, the sergeant said that- Campbell had a number of aliases. His first conviction was when he was 18 old, which was about 20 years ago. According to a report made by Findlay some time ago. Campbell had received from £7OO to £I.OOO from the sale of shares.