CONFIDENCE MAN GAOLED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 781, 30 September 1929, Page 1

CONFIDENCE MAN GAOLED

Woman Cruelly Duped

STORY OF “UNCLE CHARLIE”

rIE ingenious young man. duped a Remuera woman strength of a story of mone; Charlie,” and imposed on a : extent of £, "28. received a se labour in the Supreme Court Mr. Noble made a strong plea for Adams's admission to probation, j Prisoner was 2S years of age, and had not been before the court previously, said counsel. He seemed to j be one of those very optimistic | people, who went about the world I expecting that everything would turn j out all right. Adams had obtained the money from the woman to start a business, but this scheme fell through and he used the money to pay other creditors who were pressing him. Adams had asserted that he would make restitution, if released on probation, continued Mr. Noble, who said he was informed by prisoner that there were friends who would repay the money to the persons defrauded within a month. “That may, of course, be optimism,” added counsel. Admitting that Adams had not i been previously convicted, the Crown I Prosecutor said that the police held evidence that prisoner had been in I the habit of obtaining loans from |

Wilfred Harold Adams, who into giving him £337 on the ■y expected from his “Uncle restaurant proprietor to the entence of three years’ hard this morning. ! fellow employees. Counsel did rot I suggest that this should be taken into account by the court in fixing the sentence, but it was intended to | rebut the suggestion that Adams's . past reputation liad been good. The j fraud committed on the woman was i particularly cruel, he added. JUDGE’S COMMENT Passing sentence, Mr. Justice Smith said that the report of the probation officer was much against Adams's character in regard to honesty. “The frauds were particularly cruel aftd I have no faith whatever in your promises to make restitution.” declared the judge. “It seems that yon deliberately took the money from the woman and deliberately imposed on the licensee of the restaurant. Your offences were those of a man giving free rein to predatory instincts,” be i added. | The judge considered that a detevj rent sentence was necessary and ordered Adams to be imprisoned fob I three years with hard labour.