STEADY LOSER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 137, 13 June 1938, Page 5

STEADY LOSER.

"MAN OF MYSTERY." GAMBLED DESPERATELY. STORY OF ARMS DEALS. At the gambling tables of Ostend md Te Touquet, where Maurice Fridjhon, London merchant, was negotiating, a £50,000 arms deal with agents of the Spanish Government, croupier" knew" him as a steady loser. But tlicy did not kno\v th® c;in) e grey-haired man of , er}> busi--11 and went without J '^'°) n tancc, on-'d uess to anv casino. . f ,jy staking £20,000,. and "' a5 M been paid » * money which should an y , lis English cred.to - FMjh f Some -.time B „ nkn ,ptcy Court, i arrested the Old Bailey to pleaded suW '% £3si wit hout lisobtaimng.'"™ ° mls al] undischarged closing tliat « , eavi England with b m,ev U which should have been divided /among his creditors. / The common sergeant, Jlr. ceeil 'Whitflley, K.C., sentenced Fridjhon to 'two years' imprisonment.

Fridjhon asked that 43 additional charges of obtaining credit sliould 09 taken into consideration. A detcctive sergeant told the judge that Fridjhon had three previous convictions, the last six months previously, when, in Birmingham, he was sentenced to six months' hard labour for obtaining money by false pretences. He added that Fridjhon had revealed that since 1930 he had been purchasing munitions for the Spanish Government, which resulted in a £i>ooo profit, of which his share was £3000. He put his this money into a further operation which resulted in a profit of £300,000, but owing to certain difficulties the profit had not been paid. His share now, he had aleo stated, would be £80,000, but owing to the cost of bribery and commission it would be £40,000. He would pay his creditors with this money. ' _ ; ,