£4,000 and Gaol

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 575, 30 January 1929, Page 11

£4,000 and Gaol

Ex-Sergeant’s Heavy Penalty

Hard Labour for ‘Night Club Queen’

EIGHTEEN months’ imprisonment with hard labour, and the forfeiture of 4,000 in a fine and costs, was the punishment meteid out yesterday to ex-Sergeant Goddard of the London Police, who was found guilty on all bribery counts. Mrs. Mevrick, the “Night Club Queen,” and Luigi Ribuffi, another night club manager, were each sentenced to 15 months, also with hard labour. (United P.A.—By Telegraph — C<fpp*lyh%) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association)

Reed. 11.45 a.m. LONDON, Tuesday. HORACE AVORY, K.C., in the course of his 140 minutes’ summing up, said that it was useless to parade Goddard’s record in the force when he had admitted that for years he had systematically amassed money by breaches of the regulations. He had had monetary transactions with keepers of disorderly houses, and he had betted with street bookmakers whom it was his duty to arrest. Goddard was admittedly in possession of bank notes, numbered successively, which came from the accounts of Mrs. Meyrick, Ribuffi and Anna Gadda. The crucial question wa3 wether the notes came into his possession by chance. The judge pointed out that Goddard had rented different safe deposits between 1923 and 1925, and had moved the bulk of the notes to a new depository under a false name in 1928. Dealing with Goddard’s answer to the charges the judge said that according to his statement everything he touched turned to gold. If he backed a horse it almost always won. If he only invested money in sweetstuffs sold at Wembley, or if he dealt in foreign currency or when he dealt in copyright songs, he always made thousands.

He did not doubt that the jury would think that there had been gross exaggeration. His story of the characters of Mrs. Meyrick and Ribuffi was not such as to make it improbable that they would commit the offence of bribery. The jury after an absence of 2% hours found all three guilty. Goddard was sentenced to 18 months’ in\ prisonment with hard labour on each of the four counts, the terms to be concurrent. In addition he was lined £2,000 and ordered to pay the costs of the prosecution which are estimated at another £2,000.

Mrs. Meyrick and Ribuffi were each sentenced to 15 months with hard labour.

Addressing Goddard the judge said: You’ve wrecked what might have been a noble career in the police force for the sake of filthy lucre. You hoped to live in luxury on unlawfully amassed money which would not have brought you a moment’s peace. “You ought to have written in your pocketbook: “ ‘Turn from glittering gold thy

scornful eye, “Nor sell for gold what gold can never I buy.’ ”