VALUELESS CHEQUES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 79, 24 November 1931, Page 6

VALUELESS CHEQUES

CHARGES ADMITTED jtflAN GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE AND ADMITTED TO PROBATION. ; INJURED IN EARTHQUAKE. ;Two charges of issuing valueless cheques were adimtted by a % man named Phillip Austin Minshall, who appeared in the Rotorua Magistrate's Gourt yesterday. . One cheque for £5 was issued to Andrew Brown, of Rotorua, and the second, for £3, was issued to Arthur Cyril Randerson, also of Rotorua. Mr. R. A. Potter, who appeared for Minshall, entered pleas of guilty to both charges, and stated that accused elected to be dealt with summarily. ; Senior-Sergt. Carroll, for the police, said that Minshall had come to Rotorua about six weeks ago. For some time he had been in King George Y. Hospital and later had been an outdoor patient at the institution. Apparently accused sometimes reeeived money from his father in England and while in Rotorua he had received ■q sum of £6. He had paid this money into a bank in Rotorua and had obtained some cheque forms. He had issued the two cheques to Mr. Brown and the Rev. Randerson on the Bank of Australas'a in Hastings. Described as "Waster." . Minshall stated that he was a marofied man and a returned soldier. He Claimed that he had been injured in the Napier earthquake, and had been in hospital at Palmerston North, Wellington, Hanmer, Whakatane and then Rotorua. Minshall was certainly not a man in robust health, but he seemed to have an aptitude for getting money easily. The Hastings police descr'bed hina as an "out and out waster." Complaints had been received in Hastings that other valueless cheques had been issued by the accused, but there had been no prosecution. In addition to the two cheques in respect of which the charges were laid, Minshall had also issued two other valueless cheques in Rotorua, one for £5 and another for £1 16s. The persons to whom they were issued, however, were not in a position to br'ng the matter before the court. Injured in 'Quake. Mr-.. -Potter described the case as being rather pitiful. Minshall had been injured in the earthquake and had been removed to hospital in Palmerston -North. Afterwards he had been transfex*red to hospital in Wellington and then had gone back to Napier for further treatment before coming to King George V. Hospital, Rotorua. He had been sufxering from nerves and hisomnia and in the course of his treatment had been given a quantity of drugs to induee sleep. Now he had been discharged from hospital, however, and was unable to obtain the drugs, he had taken to heavy drinking in order to make himself sleep. Accused's father was a man in a good position in England and he was instructed that the accused had sent home for £60 with which to clear up all his financial difficulties." "He had had his lesson, and If— the magistrate could see his way to admit hina to probation, he would not offend again. Given a Chance. Minshall had at one .time had an aceount in the Hast'ngs Bank. He •wrote every week to his aged mother in England and it was feared that. if he was sent to gaol and could not \yrite, the absence of letters might liave an efTect upon her. Ihe accused was at present suffering from poisohing in the legs and was anxious -to get back to Napier as soon as -possible. 'T am doubtful whether I am do--ihg the right thing by admitting you to probaf'on, Minshall," said his -Worship, "but I will give you another chance.- You must understand, how"ever, that if you do not behave yourself you will not only be brought before the court for the breach of your probation, but also upon these two -charges." 1 Minshall was admitted to a term of two years probation on condition that he made restitution of £8, the ■amount of the cheques. At accused's own request, a prohibition order was Also issued against him. Mr. Potter made an application for .the suppression of the name, but this was refused.