LEGAL POINT

Southland Times, Issue 22510, 19 February 1935, Page 8

LEGAL POINT

JURY’S DISCOVERY

CONGRATULATED BY JUDGE

FORGERY CHARGE

(Per United Press Association.)

New Plymouth, February 18.

The congratulations of Mr Justice Blair on their discovery of a nice legal point during their deliberations, were received by the Grand Jury at the Supreme Court. The Grand Jury had been considering whether there was a case for trial against R. Bennoch, G. J. Pycroft, Albert Edward Lewis and W. H. Cosbrook who were arraigned on 46 charges, including forging and uttering, of relief workers’ time sheets and time coupons. The Grand Jury had returned to Court to ask a question of his Honour. “We would like to ask what is the meaning of forgery,” said the foreman. The point was that time sheets had been signed by each of the men in his own name. Was it not false pretences, rather than forgery, and in that case should they not disregard the forgery charge and concentrate their deliberations on alternative charges? “I anticipated some question would be raised whether or not the giving of an incorrect time sheet, seeing that it is signed by the men themselves, is really forgery,” said his Honour. “I must congratulate you,” said his Honour, “in finding a nice legal point. A better point for the Crown to have made would have been a count of false pretences. I had meant to deal with the question in summing up, but it appears I turned over two pages„ at once in my notes and overlooked it.”