FORGERY CHARGE DISMISSED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 421, 1 August 1928, Page 1

FORGERY CHARGE DISMISSED

“FAR TOO DANGEROUS” INDENT AGENT ACQUITTED “I suggest it is far too dangerous for you to find accused guilty on this charge,” said Mr. Justice Reed to a jury in the Supreme Court yesterday at the conclusion of the trial of Robert Stewart Wylie, aged 39, indent agent, who was charged with forging a cheque for £5 15s 6d. The offence was alleged to have taken place at Paeroa last October. The jury accordingly returned a verdict of not guilty, without leaving the courtroom. It was alleged by the Crown that Wylie had forged the signature of “A. Butler.” An official of the Bank of New Zealand at Auckland said the bank had a client of that name, to whose account the amount of the cheque had been debited. Butler repudiated the signature and the cheque was dishonoured. Clarence Cecil Spedding, a handwriting expert, expressed the view that all the writing on the cheque was by the same person. He thought it coincided with specimens of accused’s signature. Evidence for the defence completely denied the charge. “The case is exceedingly weak,” said his Honour. “It certainly seems as if accused's activities were those of an innocent man. “The unfortunate part of the case was that the bank did not discover the forgery earlier.”