BETTING FRAUD.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 July 1922, Page 5

BETTING FRAUD.

BIG RETURNS PROMISED. BAIT PROVES ATTRACTIVE. By Telegraph.—Press London, July 27. Hunt, who ran a big betting business was found guilty of false pretences. He was sentenced to three years* penal servitude. Parson and Walters were found guilty of conspiracy and sentenced to twelve and nine months respectively, in the second division. | Astounding evidence was given. Hunt was a carpenter at Brighton, when he conceived a betting scheme. He commenced sending out circulars and advising clients to invest from £5O to £lOO. He said £lOO would bring £l7 weekly. One witness gave evidence that he had put in £2400 and received back £l6OO. and another gave evidence that £245,000 was deposited in one bank account. Between September, 1020, and August, 1921, £13,000 was paid into another bank. Apparently the total income between June, 1919, and September, _ 1921, was £510,000, of which £465,000 wm paid out; but the facts have not been fully cleaned up, the business at this time having been conducted from a bathroom.

The defence pleaded that Hunt was witted man, who worked out a system of betting, and business rushed in with such pace that he had neither the ability nor the staff to deal with it. Bungling and stupidity of this kind was not a crime. The jury, however, refused to accept the plea.