TO STAND TRIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 694, 22 February 1933, Page 8

TO STAND TRIAL.

Man and Wife Face Series of Fraud Charges.

BAIL FOR THE ACCUSED. ! At the conclusion of the evidence ; heard against them in the Magistrate’s Court yesterda\-, Elwood Cuthbertson 25 years of age, and his wife, Elsie Ellen Cuthbertson, who were jointly charged on thirteen counts of obtaining goods and money by false pretences, pleaded not guilty and were committed to the Supreme Coure for trial. On charges relating to amounts of more than £2, accused elected to be tried by a jury. On the other charges they pleaded not guilty. Mr E. D~ Mosley, S.M., was on the Bench. Mr Inglis (Timaru) appeared for Elsie Cuthbertson. Mr Young appeared for Cuthbertson. Elsie Ellen Cuthbertson. wife of the male accused, said that at her husband’s request she went to the National Bank and opened an account in her name. She paid in £4. Her husband had told her he could not open an account because he was an undischarged bankrupt. She had had no further dealings with the bank. She had given her husband the cheque-book. She identified several cheques which she| had signed, she said, at the request of her husband. They were blank. She had asked her husband on two occasions whether he had put money into the bank, and he said he had. In respect to the indictable charges, each of the accused pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. On two summary charges Cuthbertson was convicted, sentence being deferred. The decision in the case of Mrs Cuthbertson was deferred until after the Supreme Court sitting. She was allowed bail on her own recognisance of £SO. Bail was refused Cuthbertson, the Magistrate remarking that his attitude in the dock had shown his utter irresponsibility. It was quite apparent that he had not realised the seriousness of his position. Bail could be applied for again in a month’s time.