CONCEALED ASSET

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 846, 14 December 1929, Page 12

CONCEALED ASSET

BANKRUPT CENSURED BY MAGISTRATE THREE YEARS’ PROBATION An order o£ £ 1 a week with the ■ promise that the first default would mean three months’ imprisonment ] was made against Thomas Whitneal Churches at the Police Court this morning by Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M. Churches, a farm labourer, aged 2T, j appeared for sentence on a charge of j concealing an asset from his creditors having been adjudged a bankrupt. He was convicetd on Thursday . aud remanded in custody until today. Mr. Sullivan appeared for accused. The magistrate said this morning that it was necessary to refer to the past history of the case so that his sentence would be understood. Churches had wronged a girl and was sued by her for breach of promise. She had obtained judgment for £250, of which Churches had paid nothing. Proceedings had then been taken against him on judgment summons, but he had filed in bankruptcy. “He over-reached himself in trying to conceal an asset, and that is why he is now before me,” added the magistrate. I hesitated before acceding to his counsel’s request to grant probation, but I think that justice will be met with a term of three years. A special condition of the probation will be that Churches pays £1 a week off the amount for which judgment was given against him. One failure to pay an instalment and accused will get three months for a breach of probation. He can work it out for himself how many lots of three months he will get if he does not pay.” On the application of Mr. Sullivan accused was given 14 days to pay the costs of the prosecution, amounting to £5 ss, solicitor’s fee.