MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Southland Times, Issue 23897, 16 August 1939, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

MONDAY (Before Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M.) “This young man has started on a career of what is known as ‘kite-fly-ing’,” said Detective-Sergeant R. Thompson, in describing the feats of Alexander Newton Reid, aged 22, in issuing valueless cheques in Invercargill. Reid, who was represented by Mr Gordon J. Reed, pleaded guilty to nine charges of false pretences by issuing valueless cheques for a total amount of £lOl, and elected to be dealt with sum-, marily. The detective-sergeant said that the accused was a native of Invercargill, and about a month ago he evolved a scheme of “getting rich quick.” He obtained some blank cheque forms from business people and embarked on a career of crime, obtaining money and goods of a total value of £lOl. He went to Dunedin and carried on there, and when he was ultimately arrested in Greymouth he had the sum of £6 in his possession. “He was helped on by business people giving him these blank cheque forms,” Detective-Sergeant Thompson added. “In spite of warnings for years past business people will persist in giving blank cheque forms to people they don’t know, and each of these charges is represented by a blank cheque form. He has been before the Court twice before for theft in 1937, but this is the first time he has started on a career of what is commonly known as ‘kiteflying.’ ” Mi- Reed said he could only endorse what had been said by Detective-Ser-geant Thompson. “It is extraordinary that a young man of his appearance can go to a business firm and take a blank cheque form away with him in this fashion,” said Mr Reed. “One has only to look at the accused to see that he is a person who is not likely to have a cheque account.” Counsel added that the accused had lived with his brother all his life, and had not had a very good education, having passed only the third standard. He had had a fair amount of bad luck in his employment, and had been knocking around from pillar to post. It seemed that he had behaved himself satisfactorily until he entered this career of crime, which took place in a very short time. He had stated that he had been led to this trouble by somebody else, but that had not been proved. He asked that he be dealt with leniently as he was a young man, only 22 years of age. The Magistrate: The probation officer does not recommend probation, so I don’t see how I can admit him to probation.

Addressing the accused, the Magistrate said that he did not like committing a young man like him to gaol, but there were cases where the accused held the hands of the Court, and the Court’s hands were held in this case. “You were convicted in October 1937 for theft, and the following month you were again convicted,” Mr Abernethy added. “Then you had this burst in the last two months. Well, you can’t keep on doing that sort of thing and expect to get away with it. If you have got any sense you will settle down. You have got to be punished for this offence, and pretty severely.” The accused was sentenced on the first charge to reformative detention for a period not exceeding one year. On each of the other charges he was convicted and discharged. "

Robert Laurie Speden was admitted to probation for one year for obtaining with intent to defraud a sum of £2/19/- by falsely representing that a cheque for £3 was good. The accused, who pleaded guilty, was represented by Mr Reed. Detective-Sergeant Thompson said the circumstances were somewhat different from the other case. On April 18 the accused, who had been away shearing, deposited £l5 in the Invercargill Savings Bank, and then started to draw cheques, overdrawing his account by the sum of £3. He had been before the Court last year, on September 17, on a charge of theft, and had been ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within one year. He had been married since then, and had no fixed employment.

This case, Mr Reed said, was slightly different from the ordinary method of issuing valueless cheques. He had got work shearing and on finishing had put £l5 in the Invercargill Savings Bank. He had. then started operating his account until it was overdrawn. Counsel asked that the accused be given a chance to rehabilitate himself. Tie accused had been up against (things financially, and he asked the Court to take into consideration the accused’s age, and give him a chance to make good under probation. The accused was ordered to make restitution of £2/19/-. NAME SUPPRESSED Another young man, whose name was suppressed, was convicted and admitted to probation for one year for being an idle and disorderly person. Detective-Sergeant Thompson said that this case presented a problem. Up till recently the accused had been employed in the Post and Telegraph Department, but he left three or four months ago, and since then he had been living the life of a vagrant round the town. He went to boarding-houses, telling the landlady that he was working for the Post and Telegraph Department, till the landlady found him out, and he then took himself somewhere else. The day he was arrested he had been three weeks in the one boardinghouse, and when arrested he had one penny in his possession. His home was in the country and his father had tried to get him to go back. “He has not been in trouble before,” DetectiveSergeant Thompson added, “and he has reached a stage when he needs to be brought up with a round turn. He is liable to a term of three months’ imprisonment.” Mr Reed, who appeared for the accused, said that the accused had had rheumatic fever, which might have had some bearing on the circumstances. He asked the Court to give him some chance to make good, in view of his youth, the fact that he had never offended before, and the fact that the offence was a minor one.

“It is not too late to get back to the ideas you might have had three or four years.ago,” said the Magistrate, addressing the accused. “If you don’t get back you will get into trouble. A man may be a fool and a knave in this world at one and the same time, but you have not reached the stage of being completely one or the other yet. Get home and get a job, and see if you can put things right.” The accused was convicted and admitted to probation for one year on condition that he went home and remained there until he had a job, preferably one in the country. “I am going to suppress your name ” the Magistrate added. “You are only 19, and that will give you a chance.”