GUILT CONFESSED

Taranaki Daily News, 4 September 1935, Page 6

GUILT CONFESSED

STORY TOLD OVER TELEPHONE. RELEASE OF INNOCENT MAN. A guilty man with a conscience has cleared the character of Leslie James O’Meara, St. Hilda, Melbourne. A comparison of the handwriting in a telegram produced in the hearing of a charge of attempted fraud and that of a letter received by O’Meara’s counsel brought about the release of the innocent man. O’Meara appeared for trial recently on a charge of having attempted to obtain £8 8s from a woman by falsely pretending that he would obtain an increase in, her pension. Alternatively he was alleged to have conspired with an unknown man to defraud the woman of that sum. As a result of the statement of the conscience-stricken individual a nolle prosequi was entered by the AttorneyGeneral, acting on the recommendation of the Crown Prosecutor.

On the night, of O’Meara’s trial a man rang up Mr. R. V. Monahan, counsel for the defence, saying that he had read the report of the case in a newspaper, that O’Meara was absolutely innocent, and that he (the speaker) was the guilty party. He said also that he had left as proof of O'Meara’s innocence a letter on the barrister’s doorstep. Mr. Monahan obtained the letter, which contained a confession that the writer had written to the woman, and had also sent her the telegram asking for £8 Bs. He suggested that Mr. Monahan should compare the handwriting in the letter with that of the telegram. He added that he himself would prove to the Court O’Meara’s innocence, but for the fact that he was suffering from tuberculosis. The comparison was made in the course of adjournment of the case, and O'Meara’s release followed.