FORGERY ALLEGED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 83, 5 October 1938, Page 15

FORGERY ALLEGED

CHEQUE FOR £400

ACCOUNTANT CHARGED

Charged with forging a cheque for £400, drawn on the Bank of New Zealand at Eketahuna, Frank William Graham Herdman, an accountant, aged 62, appeared before Mr. J. H. Luxford, S.M., in ;the Magistrate's Court today.

Detective-Sergeant W. R. Murray prosecuted.

Desmond Denis Ryan, the principal of D. P. Ryan and Sons, Ltd., Eketahuna, said, that the accused was in the employ of the company temporarily in 1936. He was intermittently employed over a period of twelve months as accountant. His work did not include the making out of cheques, and he had no authority for taking cheque forms from the office. At times, witness may have' signed blank cheque forms for his brother when going away. The cheque form produced came from a book issued to witness about April, 1936. The signature on it was witness's, but the rest of the details were filled in without his authority. At that time a man named O. Drever was employed by the company, and lived in a house supplied by the company.

William Walsh Wrightson, an accountant at the Bank of Australasia, Wellington, said that on September 19 the accused came to the bank and stated that he wished to open an account. The accused gave the name of' Herdman, and produced a cheque drawn on D. P. Ryan and Sons, Ltd., and signed D. D. Ryan. The cheque was forwarded to the Eketahuna branch, and was returned by that branch. It was subsequently handed to Detective-Sergeant W. McLennan.

Owen Wallace Drever, a motor-car salesman, said that he came to know the accused when in the employ of Ryan and Sons in 1935 or 1936. On September 19, 1938, he was in Carterton and Martinborough, and was definitely hot in Wellington. At no time had he spoken to the accused in Wellington, and he had not seen the accused for about two years. He had never given the accused a cheque form.

Detective-Sergeant W. McLennan gave evidence as to his inquiries in the case. He received the cheque at the bank on September 21, and saw the accused. After being warned, the accused made a signed explanation to the effect that he met a man on September 19 whom he had known when working at Ryan's! The man asked him to cash a cheque, and after filling it in at the bank, he was told it would be cashed in three days' time. The accused pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. •