R v Deetlefs

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Court: Appellate Division
• Judge: Van Den Heever JA, Hoexter JA and Fagan JA
• Judgment Date: 12 December 1952
• Citation: 1953 (1) SA 418 (A)
• Hearing Date: 20 November 1952

D Van den Heever, J.A.:

In 'n magistraatshof het appellant tereggestaan op 'n aanklag van falsiteit. Die klagstaat lui:

'In that whereas upon or about the 6th day of September, 1951, and at or near Kimberley in the district of Kimberley the said accused in seeking to purchase from one Denis Johannes Deysel a motor lorry for the sum of £255 in payment thereof the said accused did wrongfully, falsely and with intent to defraud, give out and pretend that a E certain cheque for £255 drawn on the Christiana Branch of the Barclay's Bank (Dominion Colonial and Overseas) and post-dated to 20th September, 1951, would be on such date a good and available cheque of the value aforesaid, that there would be on such date sufficient funds in the bank to meet such cheque and that the said cheque would be met on presentation thereof and did by means of the said false pretences induce the said Deysel to his loss and prejudice to hand over to him, F the accused, the aforesaid motor lorry, the property or in the lawful possession of the said Deysel, which lorry the accused thereupon took delivery of:

Now therefore in truth and in fact the said accused when he so gave out and pretended as aforesaid well knew that the said cheque would not be a good and available cheque of the value aforesaid on the 20th September, 1951, that there would be no funds in the said bank to meet the said cheque and that the cheque would not be met on presentation thereof.'

G Appellant is skuldig bevind en veroordeel tot vier maande dwangarbeid, waarvan twee maande vir 'n jaar opgeskort is op voorwaarde dat gedurende daardie tydperk hy nie aan 'n misdaad waarvan oneerlikheid 'n element is skuldig bevind word nie.

Appellant het in hoër beroep gegaan na die Plaaslike Afdeling van H Griekwaland-Wes. Regter BEYERS het die skuldigbevinding bekragtig maar die opgelegde straf verander deur die gehele vonnis van dwangarbeid op te skort. Die motivering was:

'The appellant is a young man and this is his first offence. I think that justice will be met if the whole, and not merely half, of the sentence imposed upon him is suspended.'

Weereens het appellant met verlof in hoër beroep gekom, nou na hierdie Hof. 'n Kennisgewing is egter aan hom persoonlik bestel,

Van den Heever JA

dat die Hof in appèl argumente wil hoor waarom die vonnis deur die magistraat opgelê nie herstel sal word nie.

Uit die klagstaat blyk reeds dat ons hier nie te doen het nie met een van die misdade wat onder die falsiteitsbegrip val, maar met 'n A aantyging van bedrog. In ons jurisprudensie is die woord falsiteit egter in daardie sin gangbaar. (Sien Gardiner & Lansdown...