NOEL COWARD IN BOX

Evening Star, Issue 21753, 22 June 1934, Page 11

NOEL COWARD IN BOX

WOMAN'S ALLEGED FRAUDS STRANGE STORY. A remarkable story of an alleged fraud by a woman who claimed to have I een married by special license to Mr Jack Buchanan in a nursing home, and to bo a cousin of Mr Jack Hulbert, and an intimate friend of Mr Noel Coward, was told at Bow Street Police Court recently. The accused woman, Doris Burton, thirty-one, a secretary, of Mile End road, Bow, was charged before Mr Fry with obtaining sums amounting to £9O By false pretences from Mr Walter Thomas Bozzett, with fraudulently converting part of the money received by her for the purpose of delivering to Mr Jack Buchanan and Mr Noel Coward, and with forging Mr Buchanan’s signature. Mr Frank Powell, prosecuting, said Burton got to know Mr and Mrs Bozzett nearly two years ago. She told them that she was an intimate friend of Mr Jack Buchanan and Mr Noel Coward, and was, in a position to obtain employment in a secretarial capacity for for the Bozzetts. Later she represented that she was authorised to receive money to hand over to Mr Buchanan and Mr Coward for investment in films and plays. MR COWARD’S EVIDENCE. Mr Noel Coward, the actor and dramatist, of Gerald road, S.W., gave evidence that he had never authorised Burton to receive money on his behalf, and had never received money from her for the Bozetts. On March 26 last, he said, Burton called at his house, and said that she wished to apologise for the inconvenience she had caused him. By that time he had heard something about her. When he questioned her she said: “1 did it at first as a joke, and then wanted to believe it was true.” He told her that it was a poor sense of humour to enjoy obtaining money from poor people, and she assured him that she had given the whole of the’money back. He then said that the matter was in the hands of his solicitors, and that it was too late to apologise, and she left.

Mr H. Malcolm Lynde (defending) : What was the joke supposed to be?— I can’t imagine. I gather that the joke referred to all those people to whom she represented herself as my; sister. When she apologised did she seem distressed?—No, she seemed rather gay. It was a nervous gaiety. My impression was that she was scared, and that she was passing it off in rather a gay manner.

A remand was ordered. The Magistrate said he had received a medical report from the prison doctor, and he thought it would be in Burton’s interests not to allow her bail.