CONSTABLE COMMENDED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 13 April 1945, Page 6

CONSTABLE COMMENDED

USE OF MODERN SCIENCE SHIP’S STEWARD SENTENCED Auckland, April 12. “In my opinion Constable Naylor has done a very useful piece of work and it is comforting to know that the resources of modern science are used with skill by officers of the law and are not the monopoly of law-breakers.” This is the commendation made by Mr Justice Callan when sentencing Ralph L. Fudger, aged 22. ship's steward, on four charges of forgery and uttering. Evidence showed that a wallet containing four travellers’ cheques of £5 each had been lost by a school teacher and that Fudger had cashed four similar cheques in Auckland. By means of violet ray photographs. Constable Naylor showed the cheques had been forged. the photos bringing up the original signature which had been erased by acid and covered by accused’s signature. It was rather disturbing, said His Honour, to find that sufficient skill had been shown in the use of acids to abolish the signature so effectively as to deceive four independent experienced bank tellers. Hence the comfort of finding that the police had appliances and officers with the knowledge of using them in violet ray photography to bring back to life quite clearly writing destroyed by acids. His Honour expressed scepticism about any other person than accused being concerned in the offence. Fudger was a new arrival from Canada, having deserted his ship in Wellington Tn September. A sentence of 12 months’ reformative detention was imposed.