FORGED CHEQUES.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1923, Page 4

FORGED CHEQUES.

THREE YOUNG MEN SENTENCED. WELLINGTON, Fob 1. Three young men, William Holland Makin. Leonard Walter Makin. and Pci-cv Dowling Hawkins, who had pleaded guilty to a number ol charges of forging the name of G. f. Beeson to Government cheque.-, purporting to In issued by the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Doparmcnt. were brought up for sentence at the Supreme Conn to-day. Mr .Justice Chapman occupied tho bench.

His Honour said he had carefully considered what he might to do ill these cases, and lie had paid great attention to what prisoners’ counsel Inn! said on thir behalf. Although he found himself compelled to inliict very marked punishment he wished to say that In' was indebted to counsel, as were also tlie prisoners, for the enlightenment he had received, lie had. however, to look at the matter as it, bad actually been disclosed on undisputed fact. lie intended to draw a. distinction between lie two Ala kins and Hawkins, but he- intended to draw no distinction Iwtwccn V. H. Makin and b. W. Makin. His reason for taking that, course was shortly this: that while the Younger Makin was Hie originator, the, one who planned this raid on society, the other brothior. who was older, assisted in the plan. Mo would, theicforo, treat Hie two Makius as the originators of the scheme and a. very bold scheme it was. Jr was quite cleat that if the prisoners had met with even a partial measure ot success they would have' secured a reputation that might have resulted in their names appearing in books of notorious criminals. line would leave made a coup, so to speak, that would have placed them m the ranks of highly sia.-eessiul perpel rators of giant frauds. That was then- aim, and with inoderat-. 1 success they would have got away with a considerable amount of money belonging to others. But, the bad aspect oi the ca*e. to Ins mind, was that 1 hi- whole aliap- was tinresult of a carefully conducted conspiracy. a conspiracy which had bi.-n worked out with great care, prubaMv in imitation of i ri n, ion I- who might laread of in books. 1 1 risonol had wnrk,,l opt a soltemc to defraud hunks in several districts in this island. I’lisnners had been spoken of as young iru of good ,ha ranter and of sooial condition somewhat above that ol H"‘ oomniou run of onmiuals. I bat did not tend to mitige.tr the 'dietin'. In his Honour's mind it bad the opposite cJIYet. At the same time he wished to eniisider t ireum-.ta ores wliieli were in prison--!"■’ favour, ’limy did not actually get away with any money, tail lie c-eiild not -on in Ihe i a.-e ol ihsense of r,-;>-main"-. It wa- dm- to the breakdown of the selmnn-. In tlrf-e i-ii-i-umstaui-os be could mu tn-at idle .Makius Otherwise than as ordinary criminals, and they were cm b ■->-u- ---• tcliced ill twu years’ inuiri'oiinu id .w i, hard labour. As to Hawkin.- ui-- llen--0.1,• r.-marked that he could - ,- a db! r on,)' iii his ease. II" thought Hawkins wa* drawn into tin- scheme. In saving t bar be might in- w'-oiig but Hawkins eertainlv did mu originate it. Hawkins would bod, taimil for reformat i\ •' ptir|.'on - ,‘a U l "ed or twelve months. -asmo. •vrsaxMtirKSs