ALLEGED FRAUDULENT STATEMENT

Southland Times, Issue 17784, 13 July 1916, Page 2

ALLEGED FRAUDULENT STATEMENT

A RARE CASE. In the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., Andrew Farquhar Mcßae, a youth employed as a general labourer in (he Hedgehops district, appeared in answer to a charge of making a fraudulent statement regarding the alleged posting of a letter containing valuables. Detective Sergt. Cameron prosecuted, and Mr G. I’. Keddell appeared for the accused. Detective-Sergt. Cariteron stated that accused had made a statement to one John Robertson, to whom he owed money, to the effect that he had posted to Robertson a letter containing a £5 note whereas ho. afterwards admitted that lie had done no such tiling, John Robertson, general dealer, Drowns, stated that lie knew accused who owed him £C 5s for goods supplied. Witness saw accused last November when he said that he had posted witness £5 from Hedgehope in an unregistered letter. Witness did not receive the letter and communicated with the postal authorities, giving all the particulars in his possession (report produced). All his information was the original statement of the accused who still owed him the. money. To Mr Keddell : Accused had since promised to pay him the whole amount. Theodore King (ex-Chief Postmaster at Invercargill), stated that ho had received from Mr Robertson the produced report as to the supposed loss of the letter. Witness then wrote to accused regarding the posting of the letter and the reply produced was sent in answer to his inquiryGeoffrey Blank, labourer, Five Rivers, said that he knew and had worked with the accused round about Hedgehope as late as November, 1915. Witness had never given accused a £5 note for five single notes, nor did he know of accused having posted a letter addressed to John Robertson. Witness saw accused at Browns on the last Wednesday in January when accused told him that in the event of Constable Kerse asking him if he had supplied accused with a £5 note, he was to say “Yes.” Constable Kerse, of Winton, gave evidence that lie knew Mcßae, whom he interviewed on January 14. When questioned about the letter which lie claimed to have posted, accused stated that he had had a cheque cashed at the Hedgehope store on November 5. Afterwards he gave Geoff. Blank five single notes for a £5 note. He put the £5 note in an envelope which he addressed to Mr John Robertson, Browns, and ■ posted at the Hedgehope post; office without, registering it. Witness again .saw accused on February 18, when witness told him that Blank had no recollection of the £5 note incident or of having seen the accused post a letter. Accused then said that he had seen Blank, who said that although he did not remember anything when questioned by the police yet, on reflection, the whole affair came back to him. On June 15 witness again saw the accused who then admitted that he had never posted the letter at all and signed a statement (produced) to that effect. This closed the case for the prosecution. The accused reserved his defence and was committed for trial at the next silting of the Supreme Court. Bail was allowed in one surety of £SO. „