FALSE PRETENCES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 277, 20 November 1914, Page 6

FALSE PRETENCES.

-AN IMPOSTER SENT TO GAOL. Quite an expert in the art of false pretence, James' Percy Williamson, alias Williams, appeared oat the dock in the New Plymouth Alagistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning, says the “News,” charged that on November 15 last he obtained board and lodgings and horse hire, the total value of £1 2s, by false pretences. Mr A. Crooke, S.M., was on the •bench. 61 Sergeant Bowden, who appeared for the police, had an interesting tale to unfold. Prisoner, he said, was an old offender out on probation. He had joined the reinforcement cam]) at Trentham, but had been discharged. His mode of reaching Taranaki Was delightfully simple. He approached some taxi-cab. drivers at Wellington, and said he had an urgent wire that his father had been killed at Waitara. Would they hasten him tip,by motor, so that he could be in time for the funeral? This was agreed to, the conditions being that he had to pay £SO oil arrival. They were to wait until after the funeral, and take him back to Trentham, as he alleged that he had Lad" to get special leave from the defence authorities to attend the funqral. they arrived at New Plymouth on Thursday, November 12, Williamson suddenly remembered that he had to go to the bank. He told the driver he would not be long, but the motor-car waited in vain. He complained to the New Plymouth police, but the man had disapjreared. Then the police were informed that a man named Williamson was at Ckato, where he had put up at the hotel, ■ representing himself as purchasing horses for the Defence Department. His story was found to bo untrue, and Detective-Sergeant Boddam and Constable O’Neill went to Okato and arrested the accused on a charge of false pretences. The a incused had interviewed several farmers with the view of buying their horses, ■ but the visit of the police put an abrupt termination to his business. The prisoner was brought into New Plymouth, and brought before the Court. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labor. His probation will probably be cancelled on account of his escapades.