PROBATION GRANTED

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4430, 26 May 1941, Page 4

PROBATION GRANTED

VOUCHER ALTERED. A TE AWAMUTU CASE. Having pleaded guilty in the lower court to a charge of forging a hotel expenses voucher at Te Awamutu on January 27, John Raymond Scott, aged 24, a motor driver, appeared for sentence before Mr Justice Johnston in the Supreme Court, Hamilton, on Friday. Mr H. T. Gillies appeared for the Crown and the prisoner was not represented. In his own defence Scott said he had not previously been in trouble. He had paid back the money and asked for another chance. The case seemed to be one where the utmost leniency was desirable, said Mr Gillies. Scott made the alteration on the voucher to reimburse himself for the money it cost him to go to Auckland from Te Awamutu. Had he stayed in Te Awamutu it would have cost the Government the same amount. However, he did wrong to make the alteration. He had an unblemished character. Under the circumstances, said His Honour, the offence might be said not to imply a criminal intent. However, at the same time the prisoner must realise that the alteration of the voucher could not be regarded as anything but serious. His appearance iq Court should serve as a lesson to him to be very careful in any money transaction in which he might be involved in the future. Scott was admitted to probation for 12 months and was ordered to pay the costs of the prosecution.