THEFT AND FORGERY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 206, 5 October 1909, Page 1

THEFT AND FORGERY.

YOUXG MAX COMMITTED FOR ' SENTENCE.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning a young man named James McLean,' alias .Boyle, was charged with having stolen a bicycle valued at £B, the property of Noftnan Jury, at Okato on 25th September, and also with having forged a cheque for £B 15s, purporting to have been drawn by R. F, Roebuck On the National Hank of Xew Zealand and uttered it to Fred, (jibbons, l'uniho. Mr. II S. Fitzherbert, S.M., was on tiie bench. Sergeant Haddrell prosecuted. On the charges being read, the ais cused, who appeared to feel his position keenly, stated that he wished to plead guilty to save any further trouble. It was explained to him that some evidence would have to be taken, t/iie charges being indictable.

The evidence showed that McLean had been working for Mr. 1(. F. Roebuck, I'iirrier, etc., Okato, as. a waggoner. lie slept in a whare with another waggoner, a young man named Norman Jury. Accused was leaving Roebuck's service, and took advantage of the opportunity to obtain a blank cheque and forge Koe. buck's name to it. Roebuck had once paid McLean with a cheque, and the latter therefore knew his bank. Accused asked Mrs. Daly, wife of S. A. Daly, butcher, Okato, for a blank cheque "for Mr. Roebuck," and obtained one. Accused later filled in the cheque for £0 15s, and put Roebuck's name to it. He purchased goods to the value of 10s l)d from Fred. Gibbons, a storekeepc at Puniho, on the same day, and tendered the cheque, receiving the necessary change. Gibbons knew accused worked for Roebuck, but did not know Roebuck's signature. In~reply to a question, McLean told Gibbons that Roebuck had given him tie cheque that morning. On leaving the wha„re where he had lived with Jury, McLean had taken the latter's cycle unknown <to Jury. He sold it for £l, at the Okato Hotel, to one Carl Albert Andrews, who described himself as a contractor, and who returned the cycle to Jury on learning that it had been stolen. Accused formally pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme' Court at Wellington for sentence.