CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Witness, Issue 3514, 19 July 1921, Page 7

CITY POLICE COURT

Wednesday, -July 13. (Before Mr A. M. Mowlein, SAL) Fab-e Pretences. —William Chapman BochcrU- appeared on the three following chargc-s; | —;l) That on June 30, !y means of a certain [ false pretence, to wit, a value! .-as cheque j drawn on the National Rank, Mcsgi-el, he obtained from Arthur Praps vr bottles or ; whisky and six Lotties cl port wine, of a j total value oi £5 10s: (-2) that cn July 1 he j ,0 uni 1 the sum cl to from Arthur Panne I by means of a valueless cheque; and (3) that oil July 1 he obtained the sum of £3 los I Coal Company, also by means of a valueless ! cheque.—The ac t used pleaded guilty to each charge, and elected to be dealt with summarily.— Chief Detective Bishop, in outlining the facts of the case, eaicl it was doubtful whether the accused: should not have been charged with forgery, but after hearing the circumstances his Worship would no doubt be able to deal adequately with him on the present inform a lion. On June 33 last the accused went to tile Oban Hotel and told tho licensee (Mr I'aape) that his name was E. J. Docherty, and that he wanted a case of assorted liquor sent to his farm at button. E. J. Docherty was a brother of the an used, and he had a farm at button. To pay for the liquor which he had ordered lie asked for a blank cheque, which he filled in for £5 10s and signed E. J. Docherty. At the same time lie asked f : a loan of G 2 , and the next day he return-el to the hotel and signed another cheque for £5 in tli© name of E. J. Docherty. repaying the loan cf £2 out of this amount. lie represented to Mr I’aape-that ho had an account in the National Bank at Mosgiol, but when the cheques were forwarded ill the ordinary way i hey were returned marked “No account.” On July a the accused obtained two blank cheques from the National Bank and then went to the Kakangata Coal Company’s- office, where he filled in ens cheque for £l6 19s and ordered a truck of coal to be forwarded to E. J. Docherty, Sutton. This order was not executed. The other cheque was filled in for £3 Ids in the same way as the others and cashed by the- company. The Chief Detective added that the accuse 1 was before the court in June, 1918, when he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment on two charges of forgery. The Magistrate said that under the circumstances lie thought the matter could be fairly dealt with by allowing these charges of obtaining money by false pretences to stand. It was quite apparent, of course, that a- charge of forgery could have been laid. —Tiro accused was convicted and sentenced to three months’- imprisonment on ■ each charge, the sentences to be cumulative.