SOLICITOR IN TROUBLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3669, 23 July 1927, Page 2

SOLICITOR IN TROUBLE.

COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE,

TRUST MONIES MISSING. Gisborne, July 22. . John Noden Bullard, solicitor, was charged before Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., at the Police Court this morning, with fraudulently omitting to account for sums aggregating £1,308. The alleged offences were spread over three years. Accused, who conducted his own case, stated that he intended to plead guilty. Detective McLeod stated that accused had been in practice in Gisborne under the name of Mann and Bullard. The amounts in the meantime were in respect of rents collected by accused for clients, and for which he had failed to account. In March, 1926, an audit’ disclosed a deficiency. From a statement by accused, lie had endeavoured to pay off the amount,'but realising the impossibility, gave himself up to the police in June of this year. He admitted that £6,000 was owing to various firms or private creditors. Since giving himself up he had assisted the police in framing the charges. Prisoner, in his signed statement to the Inspector of Police, stated that he had paid up the demands on the firm after the death of his late partner, although in many' of these cases lie had no personal liability for shortages. For this purpose he borrowed money’ from relatives and temporarily used his clients’ money’. The borrowed moneys were used in a hopeless attempt to save an impossible situation.