SUPREME COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25240, 1 June 1943, Page 3

SUPREME COURT

ACQUITTANCE ROLL CASE Clement Hall Beck, a soldier, was charged before Mr Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court yesterday, that on June 24, 1940, at Dunedin, he forged a receipt for 8s for attendance at an army medical board by signing the name “C. Betts,” and that on February 21, 1942, he forged the name of " L. Gaw ” for a receipt for 11s 3d. He was also charged with the theft of the sums named, and on divers dates from April 26, 1940, to January 8, 1942, with the theft of moneys totalling £5 2s 4d. There were five counts in all. The accused, who was defended by Mr O. G. Stevens, pleaded not guilty. The hearing of the charges is expected to last two days. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr F. B. Adams) said that only two charges of forgery had been selected by the Crown on which to take action. Evidence for the prosecution was given on similar lines to that presented in the previous actions brought against clerks at army medical boards. Clarence Aulburn Sydney Betts, boilermaker’s labourer, a member of the Hillside division of St. John Ambulance, said that he had never attended an army medical board or signed a receipt of an acquittance roll. Senior-detective Hall said that he had interviewed the accused at the detective office on December 23, 1942. He had said that he had never signed his own name or any other name on acquittance rolls, and had never received any pay for attending a medical board. Witness said he had made inquiries, but could not discover any person of the name of “ C. Betts ” or C. “ Bett,” apart from the witness who had just given evidence. The court adjourned till 10 o’clock this morning.