SIX MONTHS’ GAOL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 204, 30 July 1937, Page 2

SIX MONTHS’ GAOL.

INSURANCE MANAGER. OFFENCE AtTaV^LLINGTON. Per Press Association. AVELLINGTON. July 29. The view that he could not pass lightly over the offence to which the prisoner pleaded guilty was taken by Air Justice Reed when he imposed six months’ imprisonment with hard labour on Albert Fergus Stanley Hickey, aged 38, a former insurance company manager, on a charge of attempted uttering of a forged document, namely, a certificate to the effect that lie had completed certain medical studies and had qualified for certain medical degrees. The Judge said it appeared from inquiries made in Melbourne that while the prisoner was employed in an insurance office in Australia before coming to New Zealand he had embezzled over a period of six years the sum of £6OOO. He was not prosecuted for, that and had promised to refund the money. It appeared that in some circumstances Hickey was absolutely irresponsible in his actions and that lie did things quite regardless of what the consequences might he. Mr Perry, for the prisoner, said he had made restitution of £3500 in hard cash of the money lie had taken in Australia and assets transferred by him had been accepted in full settlement of the balance.

Counsel pointed out that no one had been injured as a result of the offence for which Hickey was before the Court and that he had obtained no pecuniary gain from its commission. Counsel said that numbers of prominent men had approached him asking whether there was anything they could possibly do for Hickey, because, they said, he was one of the finest and most unselfish men they knew. Counsel submitted that there was no criminal instinct or tendency in Hickey. Counsel suggested that his representing himself as a doctor was the result of some streak of vanity.

The Crown Prosecutor said it was true that Hickey had not practised as a doctor in the sense that he had attempted to treat people. The Judge reminded prisoner that when the Health Department made inquiries from him there was an opportunity to drop his title of doctor, but instead he had embarked on a campaign of lying. Subsequently he had gone out of the way to forge a statement purporting to be from the registrar of Alelbourne University. If he had been an illiterate and uneducated man one could have given him some consideration, but that was not

the position. The Judge referred fo the embezzlement in Australia and went on to say that he did not propose to impose a heavy penalty because “I can recognise that probably your life work is ruined to a certain extent; but, at the same time, it must be made clear by the sentence that the matter of forgery of a document such as you forged in this case cannot lightly be passed over.”