FORGERY AND THEFT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18992, 17 April 1936, Page 2

FORGERY AND THEFT

OPOTIKI MAORI COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE An Opotik'i Maori. Xgawnen Wharepapa, faced three charges, one of forgery and two of theft, when he appeared yesterday in the Opotiki Police Coiirl before Messrs. G. s - Moodv and .1. T. Merry, J.P.s. Sergeant I?. R. Miller prosecuted. The charges were that Wharepapa did commit forgery by signing the mime of CJmii Campbell as an entlorsemenf to a cheque for £">, that, he did steal a cheque for £5 drawn bv .Mrs. M. 1!. Young in favour of rjmu Campbell, and that he did steal an electric torch, a pair of gloves, a wristlet watch., and £1 in money the property of .Mrs. Young ami W. E, Young. In "her statement Mrs. Young said that the accused was employed by her and that she issued a cheque for £;"i in favour of Umn Campbell, another employee. Last Saturday her house was entered by someone and the articles mentioned above -were stolen.

LTusn Campbell, a farm hand employed by Mrs. Young, slated that.he worked with Wharepapa and shared the whare with him. -Mrs. Young paid him (Campbell) with a cheque for £5, which he placed in his pocket. The following day he missed the cheque and identified the one produced in court as that given lo him by Mrs. Young. The endorsement, he

said, was not his. William Butterworth, mechanic, said that accused purchased sundry goods from his employer's garage and tendered payment by cheque. The cheque was.for £5 drawn by Mrs. Young in favour of Umu Campbell, and the accused endorsed the cheque "Umu Campbell" in his presence. Wharepapa pleaded guilty and was committed to the Auckland Supreme Court for sentence.