OVERSEA PASSAGES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1933, Page 5

OVERSEA PASSAGES

EVIDENCE IN FRAUD (CHARGE

(Per Press Association Copyright.) . 1 ! '• ' ■ AUCKLAND, July ' 27. The trial .was continued yesterday of Harold Bradley charged with fraudulent'conversion. The charge alleges that he obtained £l7 from one, Manning,’ 'by falsely •' repre-santing-;.ithei-e-> existed-.* av.limited, liability company known as 'Overseas Passage, Ltd which could • supply , him with a passage to. England, for £l7.'

The witness,. Manning, T denied that accused had said the' company was trying to arrange’ rmssajges and that the lowest , price would be £35. . Another witness who paid £8 deposit said that ho could get no satisfaction from accused.. . Later .accused wrote, saying that it would" be';.necessary to raise the original fare on account of the increaedexchange rate. Witness then* informed the police. . , •'* . ’

Detective-Sergeant McHugh said that accused, .in a statement, said that the, company was not. registered, and the only, persons Connected with it were himself and. a. /man named, Stewart. The' intention of the proposed company was to endeavour to purchase,' en bloc, third class accommodation on ships .leaving- New Zealand, or to charter or"' purchase a ship. In the event' of. the contract being unfulfilled the deposits were to be refunded. They were being held in a trust account.

■Witness again interviewed accused, in April, when, he said that he.../thrlf tended to refund 1 the deposits when he could. He had no ship in view. ness told the Judge that abdut £7O had been paid in Hamilton as deposits. Counsel said that the defence was that accused genuinely intended to to provide the. passages. Accused gave evidence, saying that he conceived the idea .because of the number of immigrants' that are returning to England. ~ He had received. 1100 inquiries. Cross-examined, he said that the £75 he received from a man as afidelity bond was used in business. You got £2OO .from Stewart?—That was for shares,' V The prosecutor:, And -the shares were to be transferred from “Captain Jones, who does not exist?. That is so. ’ The prosecutor : So you. cold-blooded-ly took Stewart down for £2oo?—Not intentionally. . . , . The prosecutor:' None of these people who paid deposits, can got their, money back P—,not .at present. ACCUSED FOUND GUILTY. The Judge said the money toward the payment _ for passages had gone into the accused’s pocket. It; was not contradicted ithat money ’Lad been received by the accused for a' passage or to. be returned. The aceused had kept the money.; “The case seems perfectly clear,” said the Judge. The jury s found the aceused guilty of theft. . ‘ '

Counsel asked for leave to appeal on the question of whether the facts alleged arid proved, taken in conjunction with the contract signed by Manning

“You can raise the point * later,” said the Judge.. “T doffit think there is anything-in it.- It did'not occur to me that there was any point of law to go to the Court of . Appeal.” /Accused whs remanded' for sentence.