SALESMAN CONVICTED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20094, 14 November 1939, Page 4

SALESMAN CONVICTED

ORDERS FOR STEAMERS CHANCE GIVEN BY J.P.’S A salesman, Cyril Henry Charles Nicholls, aged 42, was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within one year when he appeared yesterday before Messrs. D. W. Coleman, M.P., and W. M. Jenkins, J.P.’s, in the Police Court

The accused pleaded not guilty to four informations of theft and false pretences which arose out of his taking orders and deposits on aluminium steamers.

Detective-Sergeant R. 11. Waterson said that Nicholls had started taking orders for tire steamers in November or December last, and had worked the country districts from Auckland to Gisborne before being interviewed by the police regarding complaints received from Hamilton residents who had paid deposits and had heard nothing further from the representative. The accused told the police that lie would fulfil those orders. Since then Nicholls had gone to Napier and further aomplaints started to bo received from Gisborne people. Evidence was given by Thomas Stewart Littlejohn, manager of Aluminium Utensils, Limited, Auckland, Edward Colin Fairlic, James While, James Kenneth Mclntosh, Thomas James Mclntyre., and Detec-tive-Sergeant Waterson. The accused said that he had 200 booked up before last Christmas and the manufacturers could not fill the orders in time. Had he not been arrested he would have been back in Auckland to have the deal completed. He had not worked for Aluminium Utensils, and he had explained that to his customers. Every letter sent to him on the matter had been answered. Uc admitted that a few had been returned through the dead letter office, but that was a result of his delay in putting a re-direction order into the post office.

The accused was remanded to Hastings to answer a charge of a similar nature.