CHARCE OF CONSPIRACY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 30 January 1936, Page 11

CHARCE OF CONSPIRACY

AGAINST FORMER DETECTIVE HEARING AT SYDNEY (United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) SYDNEY, 29th January. The hearing of charges against John Ellis Findlay, Ernest Pierce Coombe, Richard Tanser and William Campbell was continued at the Central Police Court to-day. John Ellis Findlay, a former detective, aged 40, is 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. He was further charged, together with Ernest Pierce Coombe, aged 40, agent, and Charles Richard Ilanser, aged 52, agent, with conspiring with William Campbell and William Holland Makin and others to defraud several persons of large sums of money. There are similar charges against William Campbell., aged 35, clerk. A statement alleged to have been made by William Campbell, one of the accused, and referring to shares in the “Chargol Proprietary Syndicate,” which according to the statement was a bogus syndicate, was produced by Sergeant Thornley. Ten shares of £lO each were allegedly sold to Rear-Admiral Feakes and, from the proceeds £25 was paid to Findlay. Sergeant Thornley, in evidence, said he had told Findlay that Campbell had made a statement declaring lie had paid moneys to Findlay in connection with certain offences which Campbell had committed and that Findlay.had assisted him to leave Sydney by the Alonowai for New Zealand. Thornley added : “I took Findlay to police headquarters in November. There lie made two statements on separate dates and later certain lockers at the Detective Office were opened and documents in them were examined by Detective James. Sergeant Thornley also tendered further long statements allegedly made by Campbell, but these were admitted only as evidence against Campbell. Sergeant Thornley produced a statement allegedly made by Charles Tanser in which Tanser said that about £4OOO and between 16,000 and 18,000 “Chargol” shares were to come to him. Tanser declared that a solicitor named Desmond was acting on his behalf in New Zealand. lie remembered a cable being sent to Desmond in Wellington saying: “I will accept £20,0-00 for Australian rights and give you permission to grant an option for the purchase of New Zealand rights.” Sergeant Thornley, cross-examined, said that Campbell had a number of aliases. Ilis first conviction was when lie was 18, which was about 20 years ago. Sergeant Thornley added that according to a report made by Findlay some time ago, Campbell bad received from £7OO to £IOOO from the, sale of shares.

The hearing was adjourned till tomorrow.