ROBBED WIFE OF £400

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 425, 6 August 1928, Page 1

ROBBED WIFE OF £4OO

HABITUAL CRIMINAL’S RUSE VICTIM SEEKS DIVORCE How an habitual criminal married a woman and on their honeymoon robbed her of £4OO, was told in the Supreme Court this morning when Edith Emily Collins sought divorce from Frederick Trevor Collins, on the grounds of desertion. ‘•The respondent was an habitual criminal," said Mr. Grant for petitioner. "On May 27, 1925, he married the petitioner without disclosing the fact. They spent six days at Takapuna, and during that time he deprived his wife of £ 400. He then cleared out to Australia. Later he. was arrested in Wellington and sent to prison, where he has remained ever since.” In evidence, the petitioner said that while at Takapuna she learned that respondent was sending false telegrams to himself. He said he would invest £4OO for her, and she pasted with the money. The City Missionqr, the Rev. Jasper Calder, said the respondent was well known to him under about six different names. When arrested in Wellington he was on probation for a breach of probation. Mr. Justice Reed here remarked that he had to be satisfied that the respondent deserted the woman. Mr. Calder said there was no doubt Collins was trying to get away to Australia. He believed the man had gone through three or four previous marriages, but they had been unable to prove. “If you could get hold of one of these you could get the marriage annulled,” said his Honour. Mr. Grant contended that it was quite clear that the respondent was trying to desert the woman. “I cannot allow sympathies to make me override the law,” said his Honour. “The fact that a man is in gaol is not desertion. If I had the slightest evidence that the respondent took a passage from Wellington and was ti-ying to desert his wife I could act on that,” said his Honour finally. Mr. Grant intimated his intention to supplement the evidence by affidavit from Wellington.