CO129-510-14 Report of committee of enquiry into discrepancies and losses in government departments in Hong Kong... 21-4-1928 - 24-10-1928 — Page 121

28,-

Some weight might be given to the argument that

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the exceptional circumstances of an exceedingly busy day,

when many cheques had to be signed in a very short time,

might to lead to the repetition of pecularities in signatures

made at or about the same time.

The circumstance of the names of the payees and the

amounts for which a cheque are drawn being found to be

forged might on first consideration seem to point to the

likelihood of the signatures also being forged, but it

seems equally arguable that, as the bank would not refuse

payment on account of the names of the payees and the

amounts being in an unusual handwriting, the whole object

of going to the trouble of forging that part of the cheques

was that the similarity to the handwriting of Mr. Tsang

On Wing might be such that Mr. Messer and Mr. Black would

be deceived thereby.

We cannot put into the witness box an expert witness

who is prepared to say that he believes the signatures

to be forged.

There does not appear to be any such weight of evidence

in favour of forgery as would be likely to convince a

jury.

As the case is from the point of view of the

handwriting expert a border line case it might be deemed

advisable to seek a second opinion. Therein lies difficulty

for the only person in the Colony believed to be expert

(Professor Shellshear) has been retained by the bank.

The greatest expert is in New York, there are others in

England. The investigations have not disclosed anything

which would lead one to hope that other opinions would

differ from that of Mr. Dovey.

On the question of the weight of evidence and the

prospect of convincing a jury it would be advisable, as