INGENIOUS SWINDLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 3

INGENIOUS SWINDLE.

BOOKMAKER VICTIM. "SIMPLE COUNTRY LAD." FINE OF £10 IMPOSED. A young man from Cambridge, John Henry Mahood, who swindled a local bookmaker of £49 by an ingenious trick, appeared for sentence at the Police Court this morning. He was fined £10. Mahood pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining £49 from Harry Clifton Sallery by falsely representing that a letter was posted at Cambridge on November 29 to Sallery, and another charge of attempting to obtain from Sallery the sum of £184 by a similar false pretence on January 2. Mahood posted a letter to himself at Cambridge, the address being written on a piece of paper gummed on the envelope. He then left for Auckland by service car and removed the paper from the envelope, addressed it to the bookmaker and dropped the letter in the G.P.O. The letter, containing a note backing several winners at Takapuna, was picked up by a postal official and dropped in the bookmaker's post office letter box. Mahood selected the horses after they had won at Takapuna. Sallery later posted him a. cheque for £49. The second time accused was after a bigger stake, but Sallery became suspicious and asked for an inquiry, with the result that Mahood was caught. Premeditation. "If this young man was an habitue of racecourses and one who loafed about the city, I would not attempt to say anything," said Mr. Noble. "But he is a country boy, living at Cambridge. Early last year he came to Auckland and went into a building to see a tattooing artist. As he was going up the stairs a man stopped him and said, 'Have a look at this.' The man thrust a racecard into his hand and told him to go upstairs. Thinking that he was getting something for nothing, Mahood made a bet, and for some time afterwards the man continued to post Mahood racing and double cards. I will admit that Mahood's swindle was a very ingenious one indeed." Mr. Hunt: It showed premeditation. Mr. Noble: Yes, it did, but he was only trying to get some cash by artifice. Mahood is a simple country lad, and I consider that men who initiate boys into the racing game deserve all they get. It reminds me of that eloquent phrase Detective Sergeant Kelly used the other day anout "parasites who permeate the atmosphere of Auckland." (Laughter.) Mr. Hunt: I quite agree with what you have said about this young fellow. He has enjoyed a good character in the past, and I think the ends of justice will be met if I fine him £10 on one .of the charges and convict and discharge him on the other.