"TO BURY HIS WIFE"

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 192, 16 August 1927, Page 8

"TO BURY HIS WIFE"

MAN GETS LOAN. BT FAME PRETENCES. THEN LEAVES NEW ZEALAND. Roy Gault'e troubles did not end -when he got free yesterday at the Police Court j on a charge of stowing away on board: the Aorangi at Suva, for he again made his bow to the magistrate in the same! hall of justice this morning. He was charged with obtaining from Robert George Robertson, on January 1, 1924, with intent to defraud, the sum of £3 by falsely representing that his wife had died during childbirth and that he required the money to bury her. Gault, who is aged 37, pleaded guilty. Chief-Detective R. Ward related the facts to Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M. Gault went to Robertson, told him that his wife had died while giving birth to a child, and asked for a loan of £3. This was given to accused, who gave an 1.0. U. to his sympathetic friend. Shortly afterwards accused disappeared, going to New South Wales and later to Suva, where he had been ever since. On Sunday last he arrived by the Aorangi as a stowaway. He went on board at Suva while drunk and on sobering up wae surprised to find the vessel well out to sea. Gault, said Mr. Ward, was a printer and had never been charged with dishonesty before. Mr. Leslie Adams, who represented accused, stated that Gault was approached by another man in January of I 1924 who asked for the loan of some money with which to bury his wife. Having none himself, Gault borrowed £10 from one man and £3 from Robertson. At the time he got the money from ! Robertson, Gault said that he was under I the influence of liquor. Gault had got muddled up and evidently represented that it was his own wife who had died. Restitution would be made forthwith. J Mr. Hunt inflicted a fine of £2 and ordered Gault to repay the £3 or go to gaol for 14 days.