"LONG SUIT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 224, 22 September 1938, Page 12

"LONG SUIT."

FALSE PRETENCES.

LABOURER'S TALES.

HE COURTED A NURSE

FARMXB. Al*o DBEHATOED.

Although he represented to one of his victims that he was a rubber planter at Montevideo with £7000 in the bank there, and to another —a nurse whom he promised to marry—that he was. an engineer earning £12 per week and had shares in a company—Ernest William Sampson was only a labourer. The police to-day described him as a "real take-down and a fraud."'

Sampson, who is 33 years of age, appeared before Mr. C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., in the Police Court on five charges for offences committed at Huntly, Pokeno, Carterton and Auckland. Sampson was charged with the theft of £2; obtaining £7 10/ by falsely representing that he bad shares in the National Tobacco Company, Napier; obtaining f49 10/ from a Carterton farmer by falsely representing that he required the money to deposit on a bond with his solicitor for the purpose of having a sum of money transferred from the Bank of England at Montevideo; obtaining £8 15/ and later £21 from an Auckland nurse by falsely representing that a man at Huntly had defrauded him of some money, and that he was expecting to receive money from shares. He pleaded guilty to the five charges. Detective-Sergeant J. Trethewey produced and read statements made by Sampson in which he frankly admitted the charges and explained how the offences were committed. Marriage Arranged. Detective-Sergeant McHugh said that in June last Sampson got in touch with a nurse employed in an Auckland maternity home through a matrimonial agency. "He soon made love to her and they arranged to get married," added the detective-sergeant. "Sampson told her he was an engineer earning £12 per week and said he had a motor car. Later on he confided to her that he. had been' defrauded of some money by a man at Huntly and, after saying he was short of cash, asked the nurse to lend him £8 15/. Be ievin,? him, she gave him the money.

"Sampson continued with his courting of the nurse and wrote her endearing letters. He came to Auckland for a week-end and took her across to Devonport where he showed her a nice house which had a "for sale" notice showing. Sampson told her he would buy it for her and put it in her name, and also said they would live in the house when they were married.''

Accused, continued Mr. McHugh. on July 17 told the nurse he was expecting money from the sale of some shares, and informed he r that he would be buying the house with this money. He asked her for a loan of £20 to arrange for the transfer of the property to her name. Trusting him she agreed to lend him this sum. The same day Sampson measured her finger for the engagement ring, which, he said, was ready at the jewellers. He also told her he was getting some furs to make into a fur coat for her.

The following day Sampson went with the nurse to the savings bank to draw the £20. There he suggested that she should make it £21, and this amount she withdrew and paid to him. It was arranged that they should meet again on July 83, but he did not keep the appointment. The nurse next heard from Sampson when he telegraphed from Wellington asking her to send him more money. By this time, however, she found that accused was not all he represented himself to be and she informed the police. "The police have ascertained that the nurse was not the only voung wo.nan -~*., Wn wrlt >ng to at the time," said Mr. McHugh. "Sampson had <'r>t in touch with other women through na - rimonial agencies. He wji b eventuallv located at Stratford on September 16 under an assumed name."

1 Told a Good Story. How Sampson obtained a cheque for £o2 from a Carterton farmer was next explained by Mr. McHugh. In reply to an advertisement, Sampson, on August 5, went to Carterton, where he obtained a position on the farm at £2 10/ per week. The farmer, who was ill eD ££ accused *<> look after the place' J? lo ?S aft er he was there Sampson JfiSS? T*. Su . ch a S°°d story that n♦l* ef £ arted with a che «l» e *>r £52." Detective-Sergeant McHugh said. "Of this amount £2 10/ to S&mpresult of false pretences £49 10/ Sumn son told the farmer that he had a rub! ber Plantation at Monte Video, where saM ♦W 6 - had f 700 ° in the bank! He said that in order to -r e t the ,r «„»,- transferred to New Zealand it wS bo necessary for him to put up a S with his solicitor. Would th£ f„ care to lend him that much? The fc agreed on condition that Sampson IZZ remam with hi m for six montns Afts and ?lfs J.V hßqUe Sam P 9oil d "app*ared and the farmer never saw him again "Take-down and Fraud." "Now, sir, this young man aoDeam *„ have been leading m. iff. «# "P.P B*™8 *™ *° •ince he wasjn* V£ ° f f" me ever fraud se-mti il\- , e P reten «e» and

When Sampson, in reply to the usual question, said he had nothing tosatfte mag*trate remarked that there wis nothing very much he could say. sentenced to three months' ment, and, for obtaining. £7 10/ by fake pretence,, and the Carterton offence? was sentenced to six months' hard labour on *ach, the terms to -U con, that at the expiry of this sentence Sampson is to be detained for reformat tivo purpoaea for 18 months, and that JttUS^fi? 1 -*? It***' Sampson « to start a term of three yeara' probation during which time he k to repay £8S 15 A recelvoTa, the result of his offences. . "T f ***<*• not pay the whole of this during the term of hie probation, the probation can be extended until he does i pay,? aaid Mr. Orr Walker. "This will make him remember his offences for a long while."