"ALMOST A MANIA"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 180, 17 August 1937, Page 5

"ALMOST A MANIA"

■Presa Association.)

Man Gaoled for Presenting False Cheque MANY PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS

iBv Telegraph—

PALMERSTON N., Last Night. A man who walked into a land agent's office in Napier at the beginning qf the month and arranged to be taken to Wairoa to inspeet a big station there, did, so, offered £25,000 and then returned to Napier with the agent to steal a cheque form fro'm the latter 's office, appeared before Mr J. L. Stout in the Magistrate 's Court at Palmerston North yesterday. Ho was Ernest Arthur Tremere Johnstone, agei 23, of no fixed abode, and he was charged with obtaining £8 17s from Albert Jensen at Napier on August 3, with intent to defraud, by falsely representing that a cheque for £12, drawn on the Bank of New Zealand at Napier, and signed by E. Johnstone, was valid. He pleaded guiity. Detective Sergeant A. B. Meiklejohn explained the circumstances of the case. After obtaining the cheque form in the manner described, Johnstone filled in for £12 and presented it to the landlord of the hotel where he had stayed for several days. After paying for board he received £8 17s. He came to Palmerston North, and it was when he visited several banks trying to buy cheque forms that the police heard of him and arrested ihim on warrant from Napier, where it had been discovered he had no bank account. He had several previous accounts. For accused, Mr G. Crossley said Johnstone had lost his father when sevcn years old, and was first in trouble the followiug year. As a result he was placed in State care, and so remained until he was 21. On release ihe soon got into trouble for falso pretences; servcd a sentencc, and was released only a week before committing the offcncc with which he was now charged. Apparently it amounted almost to a mania with him, but it had to be remembered ho had lacked a good family influenee or good education. After porusing accused 's reeord, which sihowed that when given probation in August of last year he promptly committed another offence, Mr Stout imposed three months* hard labour. j