POSED AS DETECTIVE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1932, Page 3

POSED AS DETECTIVE

MEALS FROM RESTAURANTS. CARPENTER SENT TO GAOL. WELLINGTON, January 19

With no money, no work and no place to live, Arthur Edward Albert 'Hamilton, a carpenter, aged 24, decide! to pose as a member of the detective

force stationed at Christchurch in ml to secure meals and other benefits from restaurants and similar establishments in Wellington. He was successful in. this for some days, but was arrested finally and was brought before the Police Court on Saturday. For being idle and, disorderly without sufficient lawful visible means of support, he was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. For posing a s a member of the •Police Force be was given the option of paying a fine or serving an additional month in gaol.

“This man has been in town for several days,” said Detective-Sergeant JRevell, “going round restaurants and lounges and that class of place, posing as Detective Allen, of Christchurch. In that way he got meals and other concessions which the ordinary man in the street does not get. He said that he had no place to live in and no work

and had adopted the pose as a means of living. He is rather a bad thief and has been convicted on several occasions of thef-t and breaking and entering. On bis own admission be has got no permanent place of abode and no lawful visible means of support.” 'Hamilton (from the dock): I'd like to say that I've only been to the one place.

Mr T. B. McNeil, S.M., convicted Hamilton O both charges, fining him £lO, in default one month's imprisonment on the first, and suiteucing him to three months' imprisonment on the second. "ONLY ONE THING TO DO."

With a list of offences going back to 1903, Minnie O'Connor, aged 50, appeared once again on Saturday to plead guilty to a charge of being a rogue and vagabond in that she habitually consorted with thieves and other uudersirables. Through her counsel she naked for a chance to go to Duuedn. It was denied her. She will spend tlu*

next six months in gaol. “This woman unfortunately ha.s been before the court a great number of times,” 'Senior-Sergeant Dempsey said. | “The last occasion on which she ap- , pea-red was on August 6, 1931. Observa- | tion liucj, been kept over her since her release from gaol about November, and various constables and plain-clothes men have noted her association with other women of the same class and convicted thieves. .As a result of such notice, ,an information was sworn and {Jie was arresthd on a warrant yesterday.” Counsel asked that accused might be given an opportunity to go to friends at Dunedin. The magistrate said that accus-'d had a very long list, dating from 1903, and many of the offences had been committed in Dunedin. “Her friends evidently were not very much help to her,” the magistrate remarked. "I am afraid, in view of her very long list, there is only one thing /I con do with her. She will be convicted and sentenced to six months' imprisonment.”