CHARGE OF PERJURY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 January 1939, Page 8

CHARGE OF PERJURY

DISMISSED BY MAGISTRATE ; PROSECUTION AT CHRISTCHURCH lUmie-l Association! CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. i A charge of perjury was brought : against Roy Stanley Johnston, salesman, aged forty-four, of Wellington, and dis- ; missed by the Court this morning. ! The charge was that at Christchurch ' on 15th September Johnston committed perjury in judicial proceedings when on examination on oath in bankruptcy : before the Official Assignee, Mr G. W. Brown, by falsely swearing that £250 paid as a deposit in the purchase of premises at Fendalton was received i from one J. H. Lceming, of Sydney, j whereas in truth the money was received from William Anderson, of Dunedin. George William Brown said that when Johnston was on oath at the crei litors’ meeting the question as to who . had advanced £250 on the Hamilton avenue property arose. Accused had , been reluctant and had said he would rather not answer the question. When pressed Johnston said the money came from a man named J. H. Leeming, who was then residing in Australia. On 16th September, the day after the exj amination. Johnston, with his solicitor, called on witness Johnston said he had made a false statement, and that the money had been received from a man named Anderson, of Dunedin. When j asked why he had given a false statement. accused said he had not thought ! the examination regarding Lceming | would have been carried so far. Mr C. S. Thomas submitted that there j was no • orroboration of perjury at all. quoting from authorities. Mr Thomas | said that even where accused made two ; contrary statements on oath this, withi out more, was not sufficient to prove ! i perjury. It might be perfectly clear that one of the statements was untrue, ! but it might well be that accused thought each was true at the time he made it.

Mr Levvey. the Magistrate, said he did not think any jury would convict, and the case would therefore be dismissed.