FORGERY AND UTTERING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21253, 5 August 1932, Page 15

FORGERY AND UTTERING

OFFENC-ES BY YOUNG CLERK ' COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE . - ■ Three charges—stealing £SO in money, ibe property of the New Zealand Government, forcing a. cheque for £2, Os 4d drawn on the Bank of New Zealand by altering, the figures and writing, and ottering the cheque—were preferred against George Alfred Pitt, aged 19, clerk, In the Police Court'yesterday, before Mr. |W. R. McKean, S.M. Detective-Sergeant Kelly said the police .would not proceed with the theft charge. FairlitS Clark Stewart, accounts ( clerk in the Public Works Department at Auckland, said that last September acdused • brought him a cheque" for £2 Os 4d to sign. He signed it and returned it to accused to cash. When the bank statement arrived it showed that the cheque had been cashed for £SO Os 4d. Witness said that on the cheque, which was produced, the figure two had been altered to five, and » nought placed after it, while the nvord had been changed to 60. The statement of accounts had also been altered, 80 that there warf a balance. At the end of the month, however, there was fi shortage of £4B. Detective-Sergeant Maitin said he obtained a warrant for accused's arrest last October, but he disappeared, and was •rrested by the Hamilton police recently. . In a statement to the police accused •aid he was penniless when he came to Auckland in February last year, after being transferred' from Nelson. He was behind'with time payments on his motorcycle, and so took some money from the Public Works Department's trust account ®f which he had charge. He admitted forging the cheque, and said he paid back £23 he had borrowed from the department. E{» also paid some debts. Accused, who admitted both charges, committed to/the Supreme Court for Sentence.