BIGAMY ADMITTED

Hokitika Guardian, 27 September 1933, Page 8

BIGAMY ADMITTED

YOUNG WOMAN’S OFFENCE. BOTH HUSBANDS IN NAVY. AUCKLAND, Sept. 25.’ Charges of committing bigamy and of securing money by false pretences were admitted in the Police Court by May Matilda Lowden, aged 25. She was charged that on October 13, 193.1, being at that time already married, she went through the form of marriage with Gilbert Samuel John Glass, thereby committing bigamy. .The second charge was that on or about August 25, 1933, with intent to defraud, she secured £l3 from the Farmers’ Trading Company by falsely representing that a certain piano was her own person I ' l property, that it was fully n-rid for. and that there were no liens over it . Detective Mai mod gave evidence of having interviewed accused in oonnecion with t'm charge of bigamy. Accused admitted that at the time she wont through the form of marriage with Glass she knew ber first husband was alive as she had been receiving correspondence from him. She stated this correspondence had been destroyed as she r i: d not w".nf Glass to know she li-d linen married before. At a second interview, accused made a statement, in winch she said she had married Co"!! Mark Tovden, a seaman on the Philomel, on July 20, 1929. On October 1, her husbord le"t tnp England, his term of service on the New Zealand station having expired. On January 20th, 1930.‘accused said she had let for England, but on arrival found her husband was suffering from consumption and was in hospital. Sh° had lived in various parts of England. but never with her husband, and ho lmd nc-or given lier any monev. At the same time, she saw him f"enuentlv, and they had parted good friends. She returned to New Zealand in August, 1930, and had received correspondence from her husband s’U'o. She had also received about £lO from him. About five weeks before making the statement, she said, she had heard from a naval rating that her husband was dead.

Accused had met Glass about twp days before going through the form of marriage, ,she added in her statement. This had occurred on October 13, 1931,. and. she had called herself in signing the marriage form Kestin Gail Rostgard, spinster. She at that time knew her husband was not dead. About four weeks after this marriage, Glass, who was a naval petty officer, left-for England, his term in New Zealand also having expired. Since leaving New Zealand, Glass had written several le*ters,' but he bad not supported her. Mr Bennett, who appeared for accused, pleaded guilty to both charges, but claimed that the charge of false representations was not a serious one. The woman had voluntarily told the police about it. Detective-Sergeant O’Sullivan sid that, after purchasing a. piano at 5s deposit and 5s a week, she had re-ro-sented to the Farmers’ Trading Company that it was unencumbered. Accused was committed to the Supreme Co urt for sentence on t’’o bigamy charge, and remanded for 14 days for sentence on the second charge.