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Road haulage boss denies Old Bailey forged international permits charge

11th October 1974
Page 20
Page 20, 11th October 1974 — Road haulage boss denies Old Bailey forged international permits charge
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Keywords : Harper

THE BOSS of a roa'd haulage business blacklisted for international permits was alleged to have told his branch manager that he would continue in the business "by hook or by crook" even if he had to print his own permits.

This was said at the Old Bailey last week by Mr Timothy Langdale, prosecuting, at the trial of John Barton Harper, managing director of Harper and Millray, a Liverpoolbased haulage firm.

Harper, of North Lines Road, Prenton, Birkenhead, pleads not guilty to conspiring with Thomas Gartside and others between June and December 1972 to utter forged international road haulage permits knowing or believing them to be forged with intent to defraud.

Mr Langdale explained to the jury that road haulage operators wanting to transport goods to and from Europe had to obtain a permit and these were difficult to get because the Department of the Environment had only a limited quota. "The allegation against Harper," he said, "is that he wanted to carry on an international road haulage business, was unable to get legitimate permits and decided not only to instigate the obtaining of forged permits but arranged to print his own."

The counsel said Harper was assisted to a great extent by Thomas Gartside, who was general manager of the firm's branch office at Leicester. Gartside, who would be called as a prosecution witness, received a suspended sentence in February this year after pleading guilty to uttering forged documents.

Mr Langdale said Harper decided to go into the international business. He opened an office in Leicester and employed Gartside there in 1971.

The DoE granted Harper a permit for Germany only, but later withdrew it and blacklisted the firm. Harper, he alleged, told Gartside he would continue in the business "by hook or by crook" even if he had to print his own permits.

Mr Langdale told the jury that there was a market in the buying and selling of forged permits.

He said Gartside contacted a man named Evans and at Harper's request bought two dozen forged permits. Later Gartside met the man who was supplying Evans and at Harper's instigation bought 500 French permits for £500. Gartside was also supplied with an official stamp of the DoE.

Harper had told Gartside to hold everything or to send it to Liverpool, but the instruction was ignored and the documents were discovered when police raided the Leicester office.

Gartside later told Harper of the raid and Harper said that he too had a visit from the police, but he had managed to eat a receipt.

Contact was then made to the man at the DoE and it was arranged that Harper should obtain eight legal permits by putting a different name on his lorry.

Further forged permits were bought from another source for £15 each.

After Christmas 1971, said Mr Langdale, there was

a change of plan and Harper told Gartside not to buy any more forged permits, adding: "I have got my own man in Liverpool and 1 am going to print my own." With Gartside's help supplies of special paper were obtained, seals copied and a numbering machine was bought.

At one stage, said counsel. Harper agreed to Gartside selling some of the forged permits so as to recoup some of the money he had spent on having them printed.

In the witness box on Monday, Gartside was asked whether Harper agreed to forging or to the use of forged documents. He replied: "He did sanction the use of forged documents."

Gartside told the court: "All I want is to see Harper stand up and take his share of the blame."

He said he did not want to see Harper in jail because a man with his experience and knowledge of transport shipment was needed.

"I respect him as a businessman," he added, "but my respect for him as a person is different."


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