BLACKMAIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 171, 21 July 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

BLACKMAIL.

MOST WICKED WEAPON

"It is not. a case of paienta! solicitude, but oi a desire to make money by the wickedest ot all weapons— a weapon which is equivalent to moral murder--that of b! akni ;iiJSo ivrna"ked the Old Bailey Recorder (Sir Finest Wild. K.t'.i. in passing sentence on two mm. one ot whom used his son as ;m tweuse for his crime. Ernest Guest i42i. a tailor's cutter, of West Ealing, was sent to penal servitude for three years for demanding £250 with menaces from a man whose name the Press was requested not to divulge. Louis Slenoff (42), tailor, of Hanway Street, Tottenham L-ourt Road, London, charged with the same oflence. whom the recorder described as the jacknl of the other man, was sentenced to eighteen months' hard labour. Mr. Eustace l ulfon, prosecuting, 6aid it was alleged that tho two men attempted to extort money from the prosecutor bv accusing him of improper conduct with Ivor Guest, the son of Ernest Guest. .1 he fact was that the prosecutor met Ivor Guest in an Oxford Street store on •January 3, and on several subsequent dates the young man visited him at his home. On the evening of January 23 Ivor Guest was at the premises of the prosecutor and when he was taking leave of his host the two prisoners suddenly appeared at the door. Ernest Guest introduced SlenofT as ''Mr. Harrison, my solicitor.'' and then made an allegation against the prosecutor. Guest asked Slenoff to "ring up Scotland Yard and ask for my friend,' and SlenofT went to the telephone and said something. He afterwards told the prosecutor the matter could be "squared," said Mr. Fulton, first suggesting £400 and then £250. Prosecutor agreed, and at their dictation wrote an T.0.U., promising to pay the amount on January 25. After the accused had gone, prosecutor went, to Marlborough Street police station. When Slenoff and Guest called in the evening of January 25 they found a solicitor with the prosecutor. The solicitor asked Guest what would happen if the £250 were not paid, and he replied, "Money or exposure. - ' The solicitor then said, 'So you threaten this gentleman?" Guest said. "T threaten nobody," adding to Slenoff, "We had better go and fetch our solicitors." At the door they were met by Inspector Bradley and other officers and were taken into custody. For the defence Guest said that he thought the prosecutor had behaved improperly towards his son and he was very angry with him. Divisional Detective-Inspector Bradley said that, apart from that case, they were men of good character and Guest had earned £10 a week as a tailor's cutter. The prosecutor was also a man of high character. The recorder said that had the prosecutor not had the courage to go to the police his life would have been one long, unending misery.