Bigamist Tried At Old Bailey

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1041, 4 August 1930, Page 10

Bigamist Tried At Old Bailey

ARRESTED IN AUCKLAND “RECORD ALMOST UNBEATABLE” In the punishment that was meted out to a double bigamist at the Old Bailey recently quite a number of | women took more than a passing in terest. Amazing revelations of his j exploits in love caused the Common Serjeant to remark, when sending prisoner to penal servitude: I think you are one of the greatest villains I have ever had Defore me. You are utterly unscrupulous. You think you can play fast and loose with young women of good character and destroy their lives. Your record is almost unbelievable. The man he was addressing, Arthur Ronald Harris, 34, described as a motor-engineer, of The Gables, Church Down, Gloucester, had been brought back to England from New Zealand under the Fugitive Offenders Act, on the steamship Rotorua, and was, arrested by Detective-Inspector Keech. of Scotland Yard, on the vessel when it arrived at Southampton. Tall., smartly-dressed, well-groomed and of good address. Harris was allowed to be seated in the dock while the case against him was unfolded. Mr. Gerald Dodson. prosecuting, stated Harris had been divorced, and married a second time on Decemberj 19. 1923. his bride b.eing Miss Georgina Vance. There was a child of that marriage. During lf'2S "he met Miss Roberta Wadkin. of St. Mark's Crescent. Regent’s Park. They lived together from time to time, and then Miss Wadkin went to Skegness to earn her living as a waitress. She was away until June last year, and meanwhile Harris improved the shining hour by trying to sell motor-cars on commission. Mr. Dodson thought, however, he was really riding about and making advances to Miss Evelyn Newton, of Percy Road, Kilburn. Miss Newton was only 20. and Harris met her in Hyde Park. He proposed to her in May last year, and they went to Chelmsford to see if they could get a house. In September Harris “married” her. at Willesden register office, and they went to the girl's parents home for the honeymoon. Rejoined Second Wife

It was a somewhat melancholy fact, remarked counsel, that at the time he “married” Miss Newton he had rejoined his second “wife,” Miss Wadkin, who had returned to London on June 29. While actually living with this bigamous wife he went through a form of marriage with Miss Newton. He packed a bag and told Miss Wadkin he was going to a job at Chelmsford, but he went away to marry Miss Newton. It was not long before Miss Newton and her family discovered that Harris was already married, and he was spoken to about it. He then promised to go abroad. Harris sailed for New Zealand on October 4, and there was an understanding that Miss Wadl*in should follow him out when he had obtained work. On the voyage, said counsel, Harris wrote ardent love letters to both his bigamous wives. In one, addressed to “Bob Darling,” he said there was a heavy sea running, and no one had taken much interest in anything outside their own ailments. He added:

"I wish I had you and my baby with me. I miss you both more than I can say. In the future I will fight for you and babs and make my one aim in life the bringing of you both ont to me and happiness. I have never before wanted you as I do now.” Reached New Zealand

He eventually reached New Zealand, but it was deemed expedient, having regard to his idiosyncracies and his weakness for exploiting the other sex, that he should be brought back to England. When arrested at Auckland he remarked: “I was wondering how long it would be.” He asked leave to speak to his landlady, and it was granted. What he said to her, remarked counsel, was a tissue of lies.

Common-Serjeant., Sir Henry Dickens, K.C.: Don Juan is not in it. Counsel remarked that another woman had been found in England to whom Harris had made advances.

Detective-Inspector Keech related that Harris, on leaving school, entered the service of Barclays Bank. He joined the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps in October, 1916. and in August, 1916, was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as second-lieuten-ant. He relinquished his commission on account of ill-health in December, 1916, but later rejoined the R.F.C. as stores officer, and served abroad for six months. He was demobilised with the rank of lieutenant. He married his lawful wife when he was 20. on September 9, 1916, and deserted her after two and a-half years, and cohabited with another woman. In August, 1919, his wife wrote and asked him to return to her. He replied: “I have nothing whatever to say except that I have no intention of ever hearing or seeing anything of you again if it can be avoided. . . .

There is only one girl in this world that 1 love, and you have done your best, not caring one single jot about me. to spoil our little paradise.”

His wife obtained an order for restitution of conjugal rights on April 23, 1920, and as it was not obeyed, a decree nisi was granted. This was made absolute on December 5. 1920, Harris not putting in an appearance.

The detective-officer went on to say that the paradise Harris referred to seemed to have come to an end very soon, for he left the woman he had mentioned and went to Canada. There he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force for over four and a-half months, and then applied for leave to visit his mother in England. On his return to Canada further employment in the Air oFrce was not available owing to decrease of the establishment. Since then he appeared to have had scarcely any employment except short periods as motor mechanic or driver. Detective-In-spector Keech added that so far as he could ascertain Harris had been kept mainly by remittances from his father, over whom he had hinted to two of his “w ives” he held some power to menace.

For a while after his marriage Harris lived with his wife at her parents' address, during which time a son was born. He was not supporting them, and the wife's parents turned him out early in 1924. During the next three years he was part of the time in New Zealand and Samoa. He was in London again in the summer cf 1927, and Inspector Keech remarked that he had found one woman to whom prisoner had

proposed marriage, but she as she had a husband living. Shorn after that Harris met Miss and “married” her in October. !“**• in the name of Pelham. Sbe stL ceeded in getting him employ™ 6 with the Shell Mex Company at n* Brixton Hill depot- One of the plovees there introduced his ®' s * e U 0 _ Harris, and he courted her and reposed marriage to her. Mr. L. A. Byrne, defending. that there was obviously some in Harris's moral outlook on hieshould, however, be borne in that he had no previous coa v”*tj Harris, from the dock, said be nothing to say except to express gret for what be had < * one ‘ -n? Common-Serjeant remarked to did not know if Harris had eT *f a good character, but he certain. never deserved one. He passet l tence of five years' penal aerv* l