CHARGES OF FORGERY AND THEFT.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1925, Page 4

CHARGES OF FORGERY AND THEFT.

KX-BANK M.VN'ACKK IN (.'Of(IT

XKW IMY-MoITH Nov. 24

Ki fly-nil. c charges of talsifying the bunk* of tin l bank, forging and uttering cheques. and stealing sums of munis t la.iling £7208 Os (id were preferred against William Kerr, ex-manager of tlie Stratford Graneli of the I nion Hank of Australia in the Supreme Court to-day. Kerr pleaded guilty to lifty-four of the eharge.s and not guilty to the remainder. on which lie stood his trial, being acquitted by the jury on four of the counts and convicted on one of false pretence*, a charge on which the .lodge had directed the jury

to acquit. The charges to which Kerr has pleaded guilty had reference to defalcations from the hank totalling .Tfiofil 3s fid. Defalcations had been made by accused opening; accounts in the hank hooks in fictitious names, receiving authority to make overdrafts, and then obtaining money by false cheque* and converting it to his own use for investment in milling and timber rights in the Eolith Island. The five counts on which accused denied guilt referred to alleged transactions with William Henry Barlow, builder, of Stratford. These charges centred around two alleged transactactions. In the first three charges it was alleged that on May Gth. 1024. the accused had committed forgery hv altering one of Barlow’s cheques for £3 to one for £350; that, knowing the cheque to he false, lie had caused tlie hank to act upon it as if it were genuine; and that having cashed the cheque he had stolen the proceeds amounting to £347. The other alleged transaction, which was made the subject o' two charges, was also with Barlow. I It was alleged against accused that I

on February 2nd. Ifllo, with intent to defraud, he had obtained from Barlow the sum of £3OO by falsely representing that one T. A. Sullivan wished to borrow that amount. On this same set of circumstances Kerr was charged with stealing the money thus obtained. Tt was on the first of these last two charges that Kerr was convicted. A sentence of three years hard labour was imposed.