CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16042, 1 February 1923, Page 7

CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD.

EXTENSIVE FORGERY. (per Press' Assoc’ation.) WELtfNOTON, last Fight. Three men, William HollftMd Makiii, fljjfcd twenty-nine years, Leonard \v.X)M Makih, twCrity-eight years, and Percy bowing iiaiVkips; thirty-six years, appeared before Mr. Riddell. S.M., to-day on eighteen charges of forging Mu; name of G. J. Beeson to Government cheijtics.The total amount involved was £11.739 9s. Detective Nuttall said on December' 29, 1922, the accused Hawkins called at the detective office, and informed witness that he was the third party connected with forging Government cheques. Hfi, said iifi jiftd Consulted his solicitors arid had mitde up jiife fiijfld to tell the truth about the whole affair. A. statement was madfc, by Hnwkiris that hd visited W. H. Makin at his farm at Moturatn. Leonard Makin was also there. They discussed the scheme and thought if they could get blank cheques from the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Department, fill them iff and forge Beeson’s signature it would bg possible" to operate them. About the of November, 1922, he came to Wellington for the purpose of getting blank cheques. Witness described how he and L. Makin went to the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Office early one moriiijig, utfscre'wt'd staple from a locked clipboard, arid ioOii u cheque hook. They went to the" s .Ha/lk of New Zealand at Palmerston North, yti'c? presented a cheque for about £SO- - Makin asked if he could pay the cheque into his account at the Post Office- The accountant said he could. This was done to see if the banks would pay cash on the cheques to make the scheme Workable, They concluded they would have to open accounts at different banks, Hawkins made out twentythree cheques on various banks in Taranaki, Wanganui, Marton, Palmerston, Carterton, and five towns in Hawke’s Bay, He made out the body of the, cheques and understood the other two were going to sign them, It was arranged he should work the towns in Hawke’s Bay, “Bill” from Marton to New Plymouth, and “Bunny” to Wairarapa, He left Feilding on a motor bike. When he was about four miles out he dismounted and burnt the cheques and everything in connection with the cheques that were not used he took with him on the bike. The cheques he burnt were those which he was to operate in Hawke’s Bay. After burning the cheques he went to Wanganui about 11 o’clock one flight, took the remaining cheques and stationery in a bag, put a stone in it and threw it into the river. He did not go to Hawke’s Bay. He had made no arrangements for opening accounts there. Had the scheme been successful it. was not- intended to ■withdraw the full amounts by cheques deposited at various banks on December 30.

A detective said lie interviewed the accused Leonard Walter Makin at the Terrace Gaol. The latter corroborated Hawkins’ statement. William Holland Makin was brought under arrest to Wellington on January 13. He had written out a similar statement, giving details of his shale in the business, which he signed in the presence of witness. The three accused had initialled sixteen forged cheques but the remaining two had not come to hand. Accused had admitted that the cheques were forged. After other witnesses had identified the cheques and the Makins as the men who presented them at various banks, the accused, who pleaded guilty, were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.