"A COMMON CHEAP"

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 189, 5 December 1941, Page 5

"A COMMON CHEAP"

ALTERATION OF PETROL COUPONS ILLEGAL PURCHASE OtF PETROL Desire to obtain more pelrof than the authorities were pre-- • pared to allow him led Thomas > Savage to alter the on. * coupons, and also led l him be- * fore Mr E. L. Walton, S.M., at the Whakatane Court on Tuesday. The offender had tendered a number 7 coupon 'to a service station! taking one gallon of petrol and stating that lie would obtain two more gallons 011 the following day. Hewever, although the coupon had been quite neatly altered by the erasure of a figure 1, the attendant detected the alteration and called in the? police. He had not, however, done so until lie taxed Savage about the matter, and during this interview the offender had contrived to handle the coupon and immediately destroyed it. Unfortunately for him the police found other "doctored" coupons in his possession. On being charged Savage had denied altering the coupons stating that his son who was in camp may have been the culprit, but this statement was proved wrong. Mr G. O'tley entered a plea of guilty although he said the defendant claimed that he had not altered the coupons, or if he had perhaps it was when he was the worse for drink. Mir Otley added that Savage was a Great War pensioner and was not in good health. "You might complete your description of him by adding a common cheat," commented Mr Walton in imposing a fine of £3 with costs; £1 9s.