ALLEGED FRAUD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 February 1940, Page 8

ALLEGED FRAUD

TODAY’S PROCEEDINGS LAND AGENT’S EVIDENCE. TALKS WITH ACCUSED MEN. WELLINGTON, This' Day. The homing in the Magistrate's Court of the case in which Harvey Maitland Chrystall and Gordon Percy Aston arc jointly charged that they conspired each, with the other by deceit, to defraud ITtirll'w Roy Sellers of sums of money totalling; about £6765 was continued today. Ernest Palliser, land agent, of Wellington, in evidence, said that Aston was very definite that arrangements had been made for the final payment in London on March. 31. by the Admiralty for a patent which had been submitted to it. Aston iiad also stated that the Awatea had been fitted with the device and witness was invited by Aston to visit the Awatea at Wellington and where special plates had been fittedGn March 30. 1939, witness was in Sellers's cfileo wlion the latter had a tele* phone conversation with Chrystall. As a result he (wintess) was satisfied that the final payment had actually been m'kide in London. Witness added that Sellers, at the request of. Aston went to Auckland and returned to Wellington with Aston and Chrystall on June 3, 1939. Witness learned on July 3 that Sellers was reported missing. On the following afternoon he spoke b.y telephone to Aston, who was in Christchurch and told him that if anything had happened to Sellers a very I'ravo responsibility rested on his shoulders. Aston was quite off handed mid said Sellers was all right mid was hiding somewhere. Witness cabled Chrystall in Sydney, asking Chrystall if he could return immediately and advising him of Seller's disappearance. In conversation on C'hrystaP.’s reitirn, witness said that in his opinion Chrystall mid Astc-n were responsible for Seller's disappearance and that ho ihought they wore a pair of crooks. Witness said E. A. Batt asked Chrystal l if ho would swear before a Court on the correctness of the statements previously made about Aston and himself being under the Official Secrets Act. After hesitating. Chrystall said he would not swear before a Court but would do so before a judge. He gave witness an undertaking that he would satisfy him within forty-eighl hours that there was no fraud. On the following day he sent witness a telegram from Taihape: "Regret no action indicated by five." (Proceeding.)