FALSE PRETENCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26633, 2 December 1947, Page 7

FALSE PRETENCES

FIVE CHARGES PREFERRED CITY POLICE COURT Five charges of obtaining sums of money by false pretences from a St. Kilda woman were admitted by a married woman when she appeared in the City Police Court yesterday before Mr J. D. Willis, S.M. The magistrate placed her on probation for two years after warning her that another conviction for a similar offence would result in a prison sentence. She was ordered to make restitution of £29. On June 6 she obtained £lO from a friend by falsely representing that she required money to pay tax on £I2OO, to be divided equally between the defendant, her friend and daughter, said Chief Detective T. Y. Hall. The money was alleged to be held by a city bank. She also obtained further sums of £ll 11s 6d, £4, £lO, and £5 from her friend by false pretences on June 6, June 13. August 8 and September 26, still holding out as a lure the fictitious £I2OO. “ Gambling was this woman’s downfall,” said Mr G. M. Lloyd, “ but it is difficult to understand how any normal person could have been taken in by such idle talk.” Counsel said that the defendant suffered from mental instability. She had four children under five years old, and was also looking after her very sick mother and completely paralysed sister.

The magistrate said that he was reluctant to send the defendant to prison because of her domestic responsibilities. As £ll 11s 6d had already been repaid, ho ordered the defendant to make restitution of the remaining £29. Car on Footpath

Charges of interfering with a small car parked across the footpath in Vogel street in the early hours of October 27 brought against Sidney William Harvey, a railway porter, aged 19, and Gerald Donald Urquhart, a labourer, aged 17 (Mr W. J. Meade), were dismissed by the magistrate, who said that the police proceedings were justified, but there was no proof of criminal intent. Counsel said that the two defendants, in the company of another youth, were walking across the Queen’s Gardens about 4 a.m., when they saw two men standing near a car parked across the footpath on the east side of Vogdl street in the shadow of a shop veranda. ' They called out ahd the two men ran off, and were not seen by the defendants again. They decided to push the ear back on to the road, continued Mr Meade, and then the police sergeant approached and asked what they were doing. Although their action was not wise, citizens were entitled to move an object blocking the footpath.

Jumped Off Wharf George Sinclair, a quarryman, aged 23, was charged with attempting to commit suicide by jumping into the harbour at Port Chalmers on November 29. Senior Sergeant D. Vaughan said that Sinclair, who recently returned from service in Japan, spent most of the day drinking, and jt[mped off the wharf after a dispute with his wife, whom he had married some weeks ago. He was unconscious when taken out of the sea. Sinclair was placed on probation for I\vo years by the magistrate, told to take out a prohibition order, and ordered to pay 7s 6d for damage done by water to the uniform of the constable who took him to the police station.

Remands Granted George Edward Stevens, a fitter (Mr A. J. H. Jeavons), was charged ,with indecently assaulting a male at Broad Bay on April 4. On the application of Chief Detective T. Y. Hall, the accused was remanded until December 11. Bail was allowed in the sum of £IOO, with one surety of £IOO.

George Hobbs, alias George Hex, alias Kinder, alias Kimber, aged 26, of Wanaka, was remanded until December 8 on a charge of stealing a radio, a .22 rifle, a wall lamp, and a gold watch and chain valued at £27, from James Young, at Hamilton, on September 30.

Found in Hotel

A fine of £3 was imposed on Douglas Clifford MacDonald, a plasterer, aged 26 (Mr C. H. Stevens), for being found unlawfully on enclosed premises. Chief Detective T. Y. Hall said that shortly after 6 p.m. on November 22, the defendant was warned by the licensee of the City Hotel to leave the premises. At 6.30 p.m. a guest left his room and found the accused standing in the corridor. When the guest went on down the passage the accused entered his room. His only excuse was that he was looking for some friends. He had evidently entered several rooms, but there was no evidence of any criminal intent, said the chief detective. Charge Dismissed

Commending the fairness of the police evidence, the magistrate dismissed a charge of being intoxicated in charge of a motor cycle on November 22 brought against Edward Sydney Cleveland (Mr W. J. Meade).

Dr C. S. Jerram said that when driving along Queen’s drive towards the intersection with Maori road he saw two motor cycles approaching on his right. Witness stopped his car, but one of the motor cycles, ridden by the defendant, struck his car. Cleveland smelt of liquor, his face was flushed, and he was unsteady on his feet, but witness could not say defendant was intoxicated.

" Cleveland was not intoxicated when I examined him an hour after the accident,” said the police surgeon, Dr E. R. Harty. “Any man would sober up by that time,” he added. Evidence was also given by Sergeant E. H. Clark and Constables A. G. Berryman and W. J. Taylor.