FALSE PRETENCES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXL, Issue 20284, 6 December 1935, Page 17

FALSE PRETENCES

“A RATHER CLEVER RUSE” By Telegraph Press Association WELLINGTON, December 5. In the Supreme Court, when Charles Ross appeared for sentence on four charges of false pretences and one charge of breaking and entering and theft, he told his Honour that he did not understand what he was pleading guilty to in the Lower Court. He thought there was no evidence to support the breaking and entering charge at all. He understood that the charge was to be withdrawn and that the other charges were to be dealt with in the Lower Court. His Honour: You have signed each information and pleaded guilty to each offence. Ross: I certainly' signed them but I did not read the documents. His Honour: You must have known what you were doing. Ross: I certainly knew what I was doing but I understood that the charge of breaking and entering would be withdrawn. The Crown Prosecutor said he was informed that the Magistrate told Ross what he was doing. His Honour (to prisoner): The papers before me are completely in order. I can only take formal documents formally signed by you. Moreover, I am not disposed to accept your statement because I find you have several previous convictions. His Honour then referred to prisoner's previous convictions, and said that he was recently sentenced at Auckland to three years’ imprisonment. So far as the present offences were concerned, It appeared that prisoner had carried out a rather clever ruse in dressing up in clerical garb and then cashing valueless cheques. Prisoner was sentenced to a total of three years’ imprisonment, to be served concurrently with the sentence he had received in Auckland. Before leaving the dock, prisoner, referring to his previous statements, said that he did not mean to cast any reflection on the officers of the Lower Court.