FARMER ACQUITTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19471, 29 October 1926, Page 15

FARMER ACQUITTED.

ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUD. BILL OF SALE TRANSACTION. NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS. The trial of Richard Walters, farmer, Waipu, on two charges of fraud and four of false pretences was concluded in the Supreme Court yesterday, the jury returning a verdict of not guilty on all counts. The chsj-ges were in connection with a property exchange, in which Walters gave a bill of sale over his; stock its security for a bank guarantee of £lsoo', later increased to £IBOO, from Percy Arthur Herman, sharebroker, of Auckland. The allegation of the Grown was that Walters had affected the security by selling sheep covered by the bill of sale, and that he obtained money from various buyers oi the sheep by falsely pretending that the sheep were not covered by .the bill of sale. The deience was that there was an understanding that some of the stock could be sold to cover running expenses. Counsel for accused, Mr. McLiver, claimed the Crown had no case, as there was no evidence that the sheep which Walters sold were the sheep covered by by the bill of sale. His Honor held there was a case t« answer in each of the three counts —first, the sale of sheep to Percival Millward without the consent of the holder of the bill of sale; secondly, a similar sale to Donald McLeod; and thirdly, that with intent to defraud he obtained £65 from Donald McLeod by representing that certain sheep were not affected by any security. After an hour's retirement, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all the counts.