Preece Family Tree

SOLICITOR SENT FOR TRIAL.

SEQUEL TO A PORTH BANKRUPTCY.

David Moy John, a Porth solicitor, was committed for trial on bail of £800 at Pontypridd on Wednesday on accusations of fraudulent conversion of moneys entrusted to him by his clients.

Mr. David Rees (of Messrs. W. R. Davies and Co., Pontypridd) appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Lester Lewis (of Messrs. Spickett and Sons, Pontypridd) defended.

The accusations were all made under the Larceny Act of 1926.

Mr. David Rees said the first accusation he proposed to take was that in which John was accused of having in December, 1926, fradulently converted £120 which was entrusted to him by Mr. James Williams, a butcher, of Porth, for the purpose of advancing money on property known as Birchgrove, Porth.

John filed his petition in bankruptcy in March of this year.

The other accusation, said counsel, concerned Mrs. Catherine Anne Williams, the wife of James Williams.

PROPERTY LOAN.

She gave Mr. John £100 for the purpose of lending the money to Mrs. Sarah Thomas in connection with some property at Porth.

Another solicitor was acting for the mortgagee, and on December 23 Mrs. Catherine Williams handed a cheque for £100 to Mr. John for the purpose of lending the money to Mrs. Thomas.

Mrs. Thomas thought the matter had been settled until she found out that the bailiff had been put in for the interest due on the mortgage which she thought Mr. John had paid off.

The third accusation, said counsel, was even more serious.

Mr. John was acting for a Mr. Fraser, of Ferndale, by the instruction of the insurance company in an action that was brought forward at the assizes at Swansea.

The case arose out of the death of a man named Llewellyn.

Llewellyn was knocked down by a motor-car in Pontygwaith and his widow took action against Mr. Fraser, the owner of the motor-car, for damages arising out of the accident.

CHEQUE FOR WIDOW.

Mr. John appeared for the insurance company with whom Mr. Fraser was insured and the widow of Mr. Llewellyn obtained judgment against Mr. Fraser for herself and her children for £500.

A sum of £150 of that money was to be paid to Mrs. Llewellyn, and the difference to be paid into court for the benefit of the children, who were infants.

The insurance company sent Mr. John a cheque for £500, and £252 for his own costs. The cheque was paid into Mr. John's banking account.

Mr. John was pressed to pay the judgment debt and costs, but he failed to pay the £150 to the widow or the £350 into court.

Mr. Alfred E. Taylor, a milk vendor of Penygraig, through his brother, Mr. Moses Taylor, handed to Mr. John a cheque for £160. Mr. John said he would put the money out on mortgage for him.

ALLEGED CONVERSION

WELSH SOLICITOR COMMITTED FOR TRIAL AT ASSIZES

Six charges of alleged fraudulent conversion of moneys entrusted to him to pay other people were preferred against David Moy John, aged 33, formely a solicitor of Porth, Rhondda, at the Porth, Glamorgan, Court yesterday.

John was arrested at Liverpool on Saturday night, and was brought up in custody after having failed to obtain sureties.

Mr. David Rees, Pontypridd, who appeared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, stated that John had received from four different persons sums of £100, £110, £120 and £160, to be invested upon mortgages in the district. He did not complete the deeds, nor pay over the money, but, it was alleged, converted it to his own use.

At the Glamorgan Assizes in November he acted for the Century Assurance Company, who defended an action brought against them in respect of the death of a man who was killed in a motor car accident.

The company lost the action, and judgment was given against them for £500. Of this amount £150 was to be paid the widow, and the balance paid over to the Pontypridd County Court in trust for the children of the dead man.

The insurance company paid John this sum, with his own costs, amounting to £250, and later they sent him a cheque for £212, the taxed costs of the solicitor for the plaintiff.

It was alleged that John converted the whole amount to his own use, and had not paid any of these sums to the persons entitled to them.

John, who pleaded "Not guilty" and reserved his defence, was committed for trial at the Glamorgan Assizes.

Identical articles appeared on the same day in the following papers:
Western Daily Press - page 8
Newcastle Journal - page 5
The Scotsman - page 5

4-YEAR SENTENCE ON SOLICITOR.

£3,500 Misappropriated.

David Moy John, solicitor, of Porth, was sentenced to four years' penal servitude at Glamorgan Assizes yesterday for fraudulently converting clients' money to his own use. It was stated that John was a member of a good family, and had had a distinguished career in the Army. He became bankrupt last March, and altogether had misappropriated £3,500.

Passing sentence Mr. Justice Wright said he was bound to take a very serious view of the offence. By becoming a solicitor, John had joined a great and honoured profession, upon which the public placed complete reliance and trust. The greater the trust the more serious the betrayal.

Identical articles appeared on the same day in the following papers:
Leeds Mercury - page 3
The Scotsman - page 5

B8. John, David Moy, 33, solicitor.
Committed from Pontypridd, 21 September 1927.
Bailed at Court, 22 September, 1927. Surrendered 10 November, 1927.
Offence. - On or about 15 December, 1926, in the County of Glamorgan, being entrusted with a cheque for £120 by James Williams, did fraudulently convert the same to his own use.
2nd Charge. - On or about 21 December, 1926, in the County of Glamorgan, being entrusted with a cheque for £100 by Caroline Ann Williams, did fraudulently convert the same to his own use.
3rd Charge. - On 23 December, 1926, in the County of Glamorgan, being entrusted with a cheque for £752 0s. 6d., by the Century Insurance Co., Ltd., did fraudulenty convert the same to his own use.
4th Charge. - On or about 23 February, 1927, in the County of Glamorgan, being entrusted with a cheque for £212 6s. 5d., by the Century Insurance Co., Ltd., did fraudulently convert the same to his own use.
5th Charge. - On or about 16 October, 1926, in the County of Glamorgan, being entrusted with a cheque for £160, by Alfred Edward Taylor, did fraudulenty convert the same to his own use.
6th Charge. - On or about 22 January, 1927, in the County of Glamorgan, being entrusted with a cheque for £100 and Treasury Notes valued £10, by Edward Thomas, did fraudulenty convert the same to his own use.
Tried before The Hon. Mr. Justice Wright, Kt. 10 November, 1927.
Plea. - Guilty on all counts.
Sentence. - 4 years p.s.