COURT SCENE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 252, 23 October 1943, Page 5

COURT SCENE

"COUNT DE MONTALK" Sentenced In England For Blackout Offence K. 7.. Press Association—Copyright • Rec. 10 a.m. LONDON, Oct. 22. "I call on God to punish you! Heil Hitler!" Thus cried "Count" Geoffrey Wladyslaw Yaile Potocki de Montalk, formerly of Auckland, New Zealand, styling himself Wladyslaw, fifth King of Poland, after he had been sentenced in the Police Court at. Epsom. Surrey, to six months' hard labour for a blackcu . offence. De Montalk appeared in Court wearing a reddish-brown velvet suit, scarlet wool socks, red sandals and natural-coloured wool gloves. His long brown hair was fastened with a clip. His green-sheathed sword lay on the police table. The police stated that de Montalk had failed to answer four previous summonses. He was brought before the Court under arrest. Throughout the proceedings de Montalk spoke in Polish, but a'police sergeant said he .could speak and write English perfectly. A constable said he spoke to de Montalk about a light which was showing from his cottage. De Montalk replied: "Your laws and your —• courts have nothing to do with the King of Poland. I would like to see the Germans over-run this country." De Montalk, after sentence had been passed, spoke in English and announced that he would appeal against the sentence. He applied for bail, which was refused. Do Montalk was formerly well known in Auckland and in Christchurch, where he worked for some time as a milk vendor. He wrote a considerable amount of verse and even in those early days made no secret of his pretensions to the Polish throne. He left New Zealand in 1927 and went to England, where he resurrected the title of Count, which his great-great-grandfather had held. He attracted a good deal of attention because of his custom of wearing a long red cloak, white blouse and beret, with his hair reaching to his waist. De Montalk came into prominence last March when it was reported that he had conferred knighthoods on some of his followers.