Totalisator Tickets That Were Manipulated

Chronicle (Levin), 12 May 1948, Page 5

Totalisator Tickets That Were Manipulated

CHRISTCHURCH, May 11. The case for the Crown was eomqileted this evening 011 eharges against Arthur Cyril, Vincent, aged *50, auctioneer, of theft of £0 from the Ashburton County Racing Cluo on September 13, and the fargery of (ive totalisator tickets. The charges are being heard in the Supreme Oourt before Mr. Justice Fleming and jury. Evidehce for the defenee will be called tomorrow. "Both charges arise out of eertain events which are alleged tt) have oeyurred at the Ashburton County Racing Club's meeting at Ashburton on September 13," said Mr. A. \V. Brown, in outlining the Crown case. "Accused is charged with taking five totalisator tickets whicli were not to lie useci that day, putting a stamp on them — they were £1 win tickets — selling thqm to the publfc and pocketing the money. There were five windows selling £1 tickets. At No. 2 window was accused and Mr. Mason. A different yode stamp is used for each race and Jthese code stamps were taken to the totalisator before the races began. They were carefully checked and iocked away. The procejnre in the totalisator is this: Immediately liefore the signal .is .given fo;c,the selling- windows to open, an- employee brings along tne code stamps. \\ hen selling is stoppea •ind the selling windows aro closed, tlie code stamps are immediately colleeted and locked away again. "We are concerned with only two races on September 13 — the second. race and fifth. O11 race 2 two unoffieial and fraudulent tickets werd stamped and sold to the public. These tickets happened to be winning tickets and were cashed, so they came back into the posesssion of the club. Each stamp is different in this respect. For race 2 accused was issued with a stamp No. 2 and the code word "cask", while his partner had a stamp with No. 2 and an asterisk on it, besides tka code word "cask". In the fifth race the code word was "gold". The stamp was used in such a way that the number 2 identification of the seller dia not appear 011 the tickets. That denionstrates that the person concerned was ac great pains to ehsure that the identity of tht seller was not found, for wi'th the number gone 110 oue could tell from which window the tickets were sold. The peeuliarities of the eode stamps aro sueh that they can be positively identified as being used by ' accuseu. [n the stamp used for the fifth race the top of the B in club, is cut off. It is the only stamp witn that peeuliarity. There are also peeuliarities in the word "gold". Sinnarlv in the stamp for the secona ■acfi thore nrn -necnlia.'if-ips in thp c.aop

word "cask." "The Crown case is: Five totalisator tickets were forged, as the result oi' which 'some person received £5 by fraud. Accused 's stamp appears on' each of these five tickets. Accused was the only person who had the opportunity to stamp the tickets. The stamp ' was placed on the tickets in such a way that the seller could not be easily identified and accused was the only one who was unfier the necessity of hiaing the identity of the seller. Accused did, after an interview with deteetives, admit that he was the person who stamped the tickets sold them and kept tne money," concluded Mr. Brown. Crown witnesses gave evidence along the lines of Mr. Brown 's, address anu the Court adjourned until to-morrow.