FALSE PRETENCES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19433, 20 October 1925, Page 5

FALSE PRETENCES

VALUELESS ORDERS ISSUED TO HOTEL KEEPERS ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE Richard Ambrose Kelaher appeared on remand at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, before Mr J. S. Barton,^S.M., charged that on October 1, at Upokongaro, with intent to defraud, he did obtain the sum of £9 3s from Jessie Cox, by means of a certain false pretence, to wit an order drawn on the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Co., Wanganui, for fJO, dated October 1, 1925, and signed W. Hamilton, such order being valueless. Detective Gourlay appeared for the prosecution, while Mr Tustin represented the accused. Evidence was given by Jessie Cox, wife of the licensee of the Upokongaro Hotel, w’ho stated that on October 1 the accused called at the hotel and intimated that he wanted to pay for a bottle of whisky purchased from her husband. He wrote out a cheque, signing it 44 W. Hamilton,” and witness, after deducting 15s 9d for the whisky, 9d for cigarettes and 6d for exchange handed him £9 3s in cash. The cheque when presented, however, was dishonoured. William A. Hamilton, farmer, of Makirikiri, deposed that the accused was employed on his farm for about three months. On October 1 he left without giving notice. Witness had an account with the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Co., at Wanganui, and the order book produced w r as issued to him by the company. He usually kept the book in his coat pocket, and it disappeared from there on about October 1. The order for £lO was out of the book, but the accused was not authorised to use it. Witness, cross-examined, admitted that the accused was a good worker, and at the time was on a drinking bout. He would not be prepared to take the accused back on his farm. Robert Mitchie, agent for the Loan and Mercantile Co., gave evidence concerning the order, while Detective Revell said that the accused was arrested on -warrant on another charge. He fankly admitted having taken the order book from Mr Hamilton’s coat, which was left in his bedroom. When he cashed the order he knew he was doing wrong, but said he had no other means of getting money. The accused pleaded guilty to the offence and was committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence. Kelaher was similarly cYiarged in respect to receiving £7 from H. McArtney by means of a valueless cheque signed R. Kelaher. Henry McArtney stated that on October 1 he was in charge of the office at Chavannes Hotel and in the even' ing the accused booked in under the name of Kelaher. On the following morning witness cashed an order tendered by the accused, and gave him £7 in cash. Shortly after that the accused disappeared from the hotel. When the accused booked in he was sober, but -when he cashed the order he bore evidence of having been drinking. The cheque, when presented to the Loan and Mercantile Co., was dishonoured.

Thomas Harley, licensee of Chavannes Hotel, stated that the accused represented to him that he owned a small farm up the river, and also that he was a cousin of Kelaher, a hotelkeeper in Hokitika. It was on the strength of these representations that he instructed the previous witness to cash the order.

After further evidence had been given by Detective L. Revell relative to the accused admitting having committed the offence, Kelaher pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.