PRISONER'S GRIEVANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21113, 22 February 1932, Page 11

PRISONER'S GRIEVANCE

COMPLAINT AGAINST FIRMS.

" GROSS CARELESSNESS."

PRISON FOR FALSE PRETENCES. "The firms welcomed me with open arms," complained John Andrew Riddell when charged beforo Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M.. at Rotorua, with obtaining money by false pretences. He had purchased goods by means of valueless cheque? and obtained, or attempted to obtain, cash balances on tho purchases. He was arrested at Rotorua when endeavouring to follow up his usual methods with a local jeweller. Senior-Sergeant Carroll said, in reference to a Wellington charge, that by means of a letter representing that lie had money in another bank, accused secured a blank cheque form from a bank clerk. This ho filled in for £l2 10s, and purchased cutlery to tho value of £7 10s and instructed that it bo sent to a lady at Pahiatua. By way of change he secured £5. Coming on to Rotorua, Riddell secured a cheque form from a local business man and filled it in for £l2 17s 6d. Visiting tho jeweller, he entered into negotiations with him for the purchase of some rings, but becoming nervous said probably the cheque was too largo and left the shop, to run right into tho arms of the polico, and was arrested. Accused pleaded guilty to all charges and appeared to .consider that ho was tho injured person. "I have nothing to say, sir," he replied when asked if he wished to mako a statement, "except that the business firms welcomed me with open arms. They were guilty of gross carelessness. I gave them false names and they never asked for any identification. The banks had also been warned against me, • yet when I went to a bank at FeilJing the manager simply called me aside and told me that he had been warned against me. He should have sent for the police. The firms practically aided and abetted me." Mr. Paterson said it appeared that accused had started out on a career of crime and had been continually beforo tho Courts since 1921. Ho imposed a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment with hard labour, to bo followed by three years' reformative detention, on the Wellington charge. For attempting to negotiate his cheque with the jeweller he received six months, and for a breach of his probation three months' imprisonment, tho sentences to be concurrent. Accused was remanded to appear at Napier next Friday, where other charges will be heard against him-.