A FEMALE FRAUD.

Shannon News, 24 July 1925, Page 4

A FEMALE FRAUD.

CAKJEEII OF CRIME. MARRIES A RICH MAN. HUSBAND NOW IN PENURY. What to do with the woman Elizabeth Major, who last week pleaded guilty to ten charges of obtaining goods on the false representation that she possessed £ISOO war bonds, -was. a problem which presented itself to Mr. Justice Herdman at Hamilton, reports the Auckland "Star." When the prisoner came before the Court last week, His Honor postponed sentence to inquire into accused's antecedents. The police to-day presented a lengthy report. Mr. Tompkins (who represented prisoner) said she was suffering from delusions regarding the possession of war bonds. Nine months ago she visited counsel, and asked him to arrange to dispose of her war bonds, on the strength of which she bought a house in Hamilton. His' Honor: On the strength of her husband's war bonds, which she disposed of. Mr. Tompkins: The woman does not realise the gravity of her offence.

His Honor: People, whether men or women, cannot be allowed to go about the country getting goods by false pretences. Mr. Tompkins: She does not realise the gravity of this kind of thing. His Honor: That is all nonsense. How is it she came to marry an old man worth £6OOO, and to reduce him to penury in an incredibly short time. His Honor, addressing prisoner, said he had taken a great deal of trouble over her case. Unfortunately the information presented led him to conclude that prisoner had been obtaining credit by means of false pretences tn other instances than the present one. The Official Assignee had also furnished a report, and from this it appeared that prisoner had married an old man at, Cambridge, who was worth £6OOO. and in a very short time, by means of skdlful manipulation, had reduced him to penury. Now he was an old-age pensioner. Prisoner, it appeared, had also obtained credit at Rotorua by false pretences. His Honor added that it would be idle and useless to grant probation in this case. It was a pity prisoner had come - from Scotland and had commenced a criminal career. Prisoner would be sentenced to reformative detention for two years. Prisoner was first married in Scotland, and her husband was killed at the war, she being granted, on behalf of her four children, an Imperial pension of £6 10s per month. She came to New Zealand as an assisted immigrant in 1920, and went to live at Cambridge, where she married an elderly man named Wilson, who at that time • had accumulated, as the result of his life's labours, £6OOO in assets. She lived with him for about ten months, at the end of which time, so reckless had she been with the old man's money, buying expensive furniture and clothing, and investing m a big town house at Devonport. that the old man was forced to file in bankruptcy, and to apply for an old-age pension. The woman's eldest boy. 15 years, Is now serving a term of probation for forgery.