Amazing Career Ends In The Old Bailey

Chronicle (Levin), 17 March 1949, Page 5

Amazing Career Ends In The Old Bailey

LONDON, March 16. A man who, according to the l)aily Mail, was dropped ncar Hamburg during the war as a British spy and who later while "on the run" from Seotland Yard as an intcrnational swindler becanie an honoured member of English society and a countrv squire, admitteu in the 01(1 Bailey charges involving about £25,000 concerning the frauduleut conversion of cheques and false statemenfs on share purcliases. He is Walter Artliur Charles Dieketts, alias Charles Stewart Pollock, aged 48, and he was sentenced to four years imprisonment. It was- disclosed in Court that he had been depoi'ted from Salzburg for swindling. While he was being sought by Scotland Yand-lie, under the name of Pollock, becanie a country squire, had a Rolls Royce, chauffeur, servants and beautiful homes. His defending counsel, referring to the option Dieketts had taken on the" purchase of estates totalling nearly 900 aeres, said it was astonisliing that a man wanted by the police in London should have given evidence for three days at a publie inquiry into a plan to eonvert the estates into a new town. As the prineipal citizen and lord of the manor -of Broekliurst he had given his evidence before a Govenrment inspee tor. The Daily Mail says Dieketts was married to a Hungarian womau and was a former squire of Horn Grange^ Horley, Surrey.