SOLDIER’S NAME CLEARED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22711, 25 October 1935, Page 14

SOLDIER’S NAME CLEARED

CHARGE OF FORGERY ACQUITTAL OF CORPORAL. Evidence of a handwriting expert led to the vindication, at a Woolwich court martial recently, of Corporal Herbert M'Lcod, of the Corps of Military Police, who was charged with converting money to his own use and uttering forged documents. M'Leod, a man with 20 years’ service, denied the charges, which alleged that he had converted 10s, part of money entrusted to him to pay to the personnel of the Military Police at Woolwich as a Christmas grant, and that lie had uttered two forged documents purporting to be receipts for ss, each given by Sergeant P. Stoddart and Lance-corporal E. Horton, of the Military Police. It was stated that Stoddart and Horton had not received their Christmas grant, and that the signatures on the nominal roll were not theirs. M'Lcod stated that he received the money for paying the Christmas grant, paid Sergeant Stoddart on the morning of December 10, and also gave him Os for Lance-corporal Horton, who was not present. Stoddart signed the nominal roll against his name. M'Lcod added that ho could not say how Lance-corporal Horton’s name came to be on the roll. He expected Stoddart, as his senior n.c.-0., to got Horton’s signature on the roll, Colonel W. R. Mansfield, an expert in handwriting, stated that an examination of the nominal roll forced him to the conclusion that Stoddart’s signature on that document was genuine and not a forgery. The signature of Horton < n the roll was only a clumsy effort. The court found M’Lcod not guilty on all charges, and ordered his release.