AIDING CRIME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21258, 11 August 1932, Page 12

AIDING CRIME

SOLOMONS FOUND GUILTY

A WITNESS' ALLEGATIONS

FORGERY OF BANK NOTES

REMANDED FOR SENTENCE

Tho hearing of charges of aiding and counselling the commission of the crime of false pretences, preferred against Philip Solomons, aged 45, printer, was corneluded before Mr. Justice Hcrdman, in the Supremo Court yesterday. It was alleged against accused that ho had counselled Graham Wilfred Morton and Cyril Louis Gousmett to obtain by fraud goods and money by means of valueless cheques. In cross-examination one of tho witnesses, who is now serving a prison sentence, made tho statement that Solomons and another man were engaged in the forgery of bank notes. Continuing his evidence from the previous day, Cyril Louis Gousmett, aged 22, said that on tho morning of Saturday, May 28, he went to tho office of the accused and witness filled in two cheques which tho accused gave him. That afternoon Morton and witness were given money and cheques by Solomons and witness went to Thames, where ho cashed a. cheque. He returned to Auckland and on Monday handed to Solomons part of the proceeds of cashing the cheque at Thames. He described other dealings with cheques obtained from Solomons. Gousmett said he hud had «a carrier's business for three years, but business was not E°°d> and he gave up about Christmas. He had obtained a legacy of £225 a week before he was arrested. He had been convicted about the end of April of taking part in the Town Hall riot. Note Manufacture Alleged Gousmett was pressed by counsel for the defence as to tho reason for .his visit to the house of a man named Parker. He replied thqt the reason had nothing to do with tho case. "You are Mr. Solomon's lawyer; you ought to know," was his retort to further questioning. His Honor told him lie would have to answer, adding, "It doesn't matter, does it ?" Witness: It does. His Honor: What did you go into Parker'p for ?—lt has nothing to do with cheques. Counsel: No, but let us have it. Witness: To see if something that was getting made was finished. Counsel: What was it ?—Bank notes. His Honor: That is important. Who was manufacturing bank notes ?—Both Solomons and Parker. Counsel interrupted His Honor, who said, "Ho is answering a quostion, but vou do not seem to. want the answer." Counsel: I do, nir. His Honor: Will you be good enough to bo quiet. Gousmett said bank notes were being manufactured by Solomons and Parker. He was not referring to the time when bank notes were being circulated about nine or ten months ago, but to a new lot. Morton was with him when lie went to Parker's house about these new bank notes. Morton and he were friendly over these bank notes. They went to Parker's to find if Solomons had tho cheque forms, because thev were not allowed to go to Solomon's office. Counsel for the Defence: When did you and Morton first start into tho bank noto business ?—lt was after the riot. Telephone Conversation Did you not have the impudence to ring me up at my office and say that you would change your evidence if necessary and put it on to Parker ?—No, sir. You deny that you told me vou would change your evidence against Solomons ? I do. His Honor (to counsel): Are you going to give evidence ? Counsel: I will have to, sir, if he persists in his denial. His Honor: I do not know whether you can. Counsel: Ho may admit it before I have finished with him. Gousmott: I won't admit that, because it is lies. Further examined, witness said: "I rang you up and said that if you could have Solomons' case remanded I might be able to alter my evidence." Ilis Honor: What did you mean by that ? Witness: In the first place, Solomons promised to pay my solicitor's fees and Morton's. I rang counsel up to say that if a case came up I might make it easy. Tho foreman said tho jury would like to know if it would bo possible to have evidence from Parker. "We think we would like to hear him," he said. "Ho has been mentioned right through tho case." Counsel for tho Crown said ho did not know whether Parker was available or not. Ho had not been examined or approached at all by tho police in the matter. It might be that he would bo regarded by the police as a hostile witness. 'His Honor said tho jury would just have to accept tho case as it stood. Verdict with Comment Graham Wilfred Morton, recalled by counsel for the defence, said ho did not know anything about the cheque book. Ho did not know whether or not Gousmett stolo-it. This closed tho case for the Crown and the defence called no evidence. Counsel for the defence described the case as in many respects an extraordinary one. The evidence against the accused was entirely that of two undoubted and admitted accomplices and these accomplices had contradicted each other. After a retirement of hours the jury returned with a verdict of guilty. A woman at tho back of Court screamed, "Oh, ho isn't guilty!" and had to be removed, crying hysterically, from the courtroom. The foreman added a comment on the comparative freedom with which business men had cashed chcquos for strangers. "Wo regard that as a direct incitement to this kind of crime," ho said. Solomons was remanded for sentence on Monday.