WOULD-BE AVIATOR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 260, 25 June 1932, Page 5

WOULD-BE AVIATOR

(Press Assn.-

never been aloft obtained money on pretence of trans-atlantic flight " a christchurch case

-By Telegraph — Oo'pyrlght).

. . CHRISTCHURCH, Friday, A curious' case was heard in the Magistrate's Court this morning, when Royd Leslie Dixon (24),' salesman, was charged with obtainihg £10 from Eileen jennings by falsely" representing that he had undertaken to fly from 'Germany to America, that he had besn guai-anteed the use of a Junkers aeroplane, and the full amburit of money necessary for the venture had been deposited with' his secretary/ Accused was convicted' and ordered to come up for. sentehce 'if called upon. Counsel Said ' accused had been smitten 'with the' desire to 'fiy. The police said he had never heen an aviator, though he had heen aloft. "A Wonderful Imagi nation!' Chief Detective Carroll said accused got to know Miss Jennings in Wel-/ lington, and represented himself' to be "Lieu'tenant" Dixon, an aviator, ahd | declared that arrangements had been made for a fiight from Germany to America, for which he had all of the £5200 I'equired except £85.' Miss Jbhnings had heen induced to part with £10. Dixon was not an aviator. He had further represented that some-' thing in the nature of a company was running the venture, and that he had a pi'ivate se'cretary. A report had been prepared by JDfbcon, which showed that he had a wonderful imagination. The report stated that the copyright of the fiight had been sold to a newspaper. Accused was not an aviator, but ' had apparently hit on a plan of helping himself along in hard times. Recently he had been employed selling magazines. "Vaulting Ambition" Counsel for the defence said accused had heconi'e fascinated hy the doings of aviators during and after the war. He seemed to have developed a very keen aviation sense. He had not received sympathy at home, and had got in touch with Admiral Byrd and Sir Douglas Mawson, from whom he had received encouraging letters. Dixon had hegun to study and had gainecl a lieutenant's ground-work certificate. He could not obtain a pilot's certificate because of the laclc of money. He hacl fiights in Sydney, and had watched operations at the Mascot aerodrome, and had been an observcr in the air search for the Southern Cloud. Accused had been genuinely keen on aviation, and hacl even lectured on aeronautics. Counsel added that there was no thing vicious in Dixon's make-up. It was a case of "vaulting ambition" that liad rather over-leaped itself. The trouble had been due to a romantic and boyish imagination.