SOLICITOR AND CLIENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11370, 1 September 1908, Page 3

SOLICITOR AND CLIENT.

(Per Press Association.) PALMERSTON N.. last night. C. E. Harden, solicitor, was charged to-day. before Mr A. D. Thomson, S.M., •with the theft of £250 from a client. The police prosecuted, and Mr Cooke asked for a further remand on behalf of accused on the ground that he was physically unfit for tlie ordeal. Mr Thomson refused a further remand, and Mr Cooke withdrew from the case on the ground that it was impossible to do it justice under the circumstances. Dr. O'Brien gav.e evidence t/hat though ill in the morning, accused had sufficiently improved to allow the case to go on. A large amount of evidence was taken, the most important witness being Hughes, accountant of the Bank of Australasia, who produced entries showing that only £1 14s lOd was in trust account prior to paying in the £250, and a cheque for £100 was drawn against that. Several other debit entries were also shown, and the credit balance of account on the 30th July last when transactions ceased was 14s. Accused was committed for trial at the Supreme Court, and while reserving his defence, made a lengthy statement, in which he stated that his books and affairs had not been looked after owing to illness and continual absence- from town. "It was a considerable shock." said« he, "when I went to the bank and discovered my position." Ho also laid stress on the fact that he had made no attempt to shirk his responsibility.