CHARGE ADMITTED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 282, 23 July 1932, Page 6

CHARGE ADMITTED

WHAKATANE RESIDENTS PLEAD GUILTY TO FORGERY OF DOCUMENTS In the Whakatane Magistrate's Court before Messrs R. Brown and H. Muscutt, J's.P., Christopher Henry Parkinson and his wife Mabel Isahel Parkinson, pleaded guilty to charges laid in connection with the forgery : of eertain documents in connection with the purchase of a Ford truck from Armstrong and Co., Ltd., motor garage proprietors, Whakatane. Parkinson was charged with forging a document purporting to be an instrument hy way of security executed hy D. Bowick, and a memorandum of mortgage also signed by D. Bowick and causing Armstrong and Co., Ltd., to act on same as genuine; his wife was eharged with aiding and abetting ' in the offence. Both accused pleaded guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence. In evidence William Harold Armstrong, managing director of Armstrong and Co., Ltd., stated that in June, 1931 both accused came to his garage to purchase a truck. They gave their names as Bowick, of Te Teko. He sold them a 30cwt. Ford truck. They told witness they had a house property in Te Teko which they were willing to give as security for the purchase money of the truck. He agreed siibjeet to all being in order. Later in June, both accused and witness went to Mr. Otley's oifice. As accused did not have the deeds, the wife wired to Napier for them. The deeds arrived and a mortgage over the Taupo house property was drawn up in the oifice of Messrs Buddle and Otley. The husband signed the mortgage. His wife , although she signed no documents, took an active part in the proceedings. Witness honestly thought he was dealing with Bowick. He later ascertained that the names of accused were Parkinson and not Bowick. Constable F. W. Johnson stated that on "May 12 last he interviewed both accused who stated they were the owners of the Taupo property. The husband admitted he had signed both documents in the name of "D. Bowick" ■ stating that at that time he used the name Bowick as a nom-dh-plume. Later, in company with Constable Cummings, he arrested the accused on warrant. When the warrants were read the husband said: "It's all up — I am going to take the easiest way and plead guilty." The witness produced a copy of the death certificate of David Bowick who died at Whakatane Hospital on June 27, 1931. Bowick was the owner of the property at Taupo referred to in the deeds. Witness had known both accused for upwards of 12 months by the name of Parkinson. He had served summonses on them under that name. He had never known them as Bowick until the present matter came to him for investigation.