SWEEP “WINNER”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 263, 19 August 1936, Page 6

SWEEP “WINNER”

CHARGE OF CREDIT BY FRAUD.

ON PROBATION FOR TWO YEARS.

HIRE OF A TAXI IN DUNEDIN

tPer Press Association.) DUNEDIN, This Day

At the Police Court this morning, Ernest Arthur Trimear Johnstone was charged with having obtained taxi hire credit by fraud, the original charge of being idle and disorderly being withdrawn. Chief-Detective Young stated that the charges arose from a statement to the effect that accused had won £30,000 in the Irish Sweepstake. It was alleged that accrued caused a telephone message to be sent to the “Otago Daily Times” that a Dunedin plasterer named Johnstone had won that sum. The following morning a representative of the “Evening Star” saw accused, who, in reply to a question, said the report in the “Times” was correct. Asked when he learned the news, Johnstone, jt was alleged, stated that he received a telegram the previous night from a Timaru friend. He naturally received considerable attention, andl commenced to borrow, obtaining £lO from his employer, and later another £lO, before going to Timaru, allegedly to collect the ticket, with the promise to return on Monday. He stayed in Timaru for a week, being royally entertained. When doubts arose he returned, and was later arrested on the vagrancy charge. The present charges arose from the fact that on Sunday night accused hired two taxis to take a party to Waikouaiti. The Chief-Detective stated that accused had appeared at the Children’s Court in Timaru in 1928, being committed to the Child 1 Welfare Department and spending some time at the Weraroa farm. In 1932 he was charged with theft at Wanganui and, returned to Weraroa.

For accused, Mr White said there was nothing to prove that accused originated the idea of a win. If he had done so he had had the opportunity to get hundreds of pounds and, skip away, but all he did was to borrow a small sum and avail himself of the glamour afforded by the publicity. His return to see his employer was not the action of a crook. _The fact that there was no suggestion of any other charges indicated that Johnstone was not responsible for the original hoax. His employer was willing to take him back. Mr' Bartholomew, S.M., iii admitting accused to probation for two years, said that accused was a problem case, being somewhat unbalanced. He doubted whether accused would do much good outside institutional control, but in view of liis age (22) he would give him a chance. The Magistrate added that he could not refrain from remarking that it was unfortunate the local press so readily lent themselves to the hoax. The statements might have been accepted to a considerable degree, but in this case only a small sum was obtained. Had the amounts been larger the press could not absolve themselves from a considerable degree of responsibility. An order for restitution of the taxi ride at the rate of 2s 6d weekly was made.