OBTAINED CREDIT BY FRAUD

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22795, 22 August 1939, Page 4

OBTAINED CREDIT BY FRAUD

Young Man Who Lived At Expensive Hotels

REFORMATIVE DETENTION FOR A YEAR (PEBSS ASSOCIATION TEI.EORAM.) AUCKLAND, August 21.. The story •of a young man who claimed that he was an inventor, and lived at expensive hotels in different parts' of New Zealand was told in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. Mr F. H. Levien, S.M., presided. Accused was Samuel Guy Pomeroy, aged 27, an engineer. He was charged with obtaining on or about May 12, at Christchurch, credit to the value of £29 19s 6d from Bernhard Charles Boulton, by fraud, with obtaining on or about June 16, at Auckland, credit to the value of £3B from Percy Wallace Sampson by fraud; with stowing away at Auckland ,on June 16 on the Rotorua, and with at breach of his probation. Accused pleaded guilty, ... Detective-Sergeant Nalder, who prosecuted, said accused came to New Zealand from Melbourne, landing at Bluff on March "13. He went to Christchurch, and on April 25 booked in at the United Service Hotel. At the time accused went to this hotel he had only a lew shillings in his possession, and had no immediate prospects of obtaining money. “While at this hotel accused ran up a bill amounting to £29 19s 6d,” continued Mr Nalder. “He charged up cigarettes, tobacco, drinks, and toll palls, including one to Australia for £3, knowing that he had no money to pay with. On being asked by the hotel management, accused gave a number of excuses lor deferring payment; but on May 12 he was told to

go. “From there accused went to Wellington, some friend paying his boat fare, and stayed at the Hotel St. George for three days. He then went to the Waterloo Hotel. In Wellington he managed to get a relative to guarantee his hotel bill, with the result that the relative was made to meet heavy expense when accused left the city. No charge was made In this connexion. “When accused arrived in Auckland on June 3 he went to the Grand Hotel, where he booked in.” said Mr Nalder. “In company with another man, accused became friendly with two girls from the Hollywood Hotel Revue, then in Auckland. Accused arranged for the girls to stay at the Grand Hotel, and he personally guaranteed. one of the girl’s accounts. Accused had no money when he arrived at the hotel, and was not justified in guaranteeing anyone’s account. The members of the Hollywood Hotel Revue were to leave New Zealand for America on the Niagara on June 13. and the two girls and the other man left the hotel. The other man fully paid his portion of the account. Accused said he was staying, and made no effort to pay the account. Stowed Away on Niagara “That night the Niagara sailed from Auckland, and when three miles at Sea a stowaway was found on board. The ship was stopped, and a launch was sent to collect the stowaway. This stowaway was charged in the Magistrate’s Court next day under the name of Allan Thomas, and was convicted and placed on 12 months’ probation. That man was Pomeroy," said , Mr Nalder. ' ■ J “On leaving the Court, Pomeroy went back to the Grand Hotel. He was asked by the manager—nobody knew of what had occurred the previous night > —for payment of the account. Accused stated that, owing to his father’s death just a few days previously, there _was a hold-up in his remittance; but he would have his account guaranteed. This statement was not true, and the hotel manager was misled.” Mr Nalder said that on the night of June 16, accused left the hotel casually, leaving two empty«, suitcases, in his room, and stowed away on the Rotorua, The only work done;by accused from the time he went to the United Service Hotel In Christchurch,, until he left on the Rotorua, was three weeks’ casual work for the Hollywood Hotel Revue Company on its tour or New Zealand. He worked as an extra in a flag number. He held a flag'on the stage for about 10 minutes each night, and received as wages £1 a week. “Accused claimed to be ; the son of the InvercargiJl-born Inventor of the tracer bullet,” . continued Mr Nalder. “While living at expensive hotels he claimed, that he haid invented a new type of bullet that would ‘startle the world and be a set-back to the totalitarian powers.’ ” The police had plans of the accused’s alleged ■ invention. These had been examined by experts, who stated they, were worthless. Accused was a professional stowaway, who had stowed away on boats other than; the Niagara and, the Rotorua. v

Sub-Inspector Pender, .who prosecuted in the stowing away charge, said the accused was put on board another vessel when the Rotorua reached Panama and brought. back to New Zealand.. Accused stated to '•■ the Court that when he went to the United Service Hotel, he thought he was going to get money from, Australia' or America. He owned shares which could not be sold, because there had been some hitch in the transfer, or power of attorney. He had never been in trouble before. He wanted to get’ back to England., The Magistrate said accused was an able-bodied man, who was not prepared to do a -tap of work. Accused was sentenced to one year’s reformative detention on the charge of obtaining credit by fraud in Christchurch, and was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard' labour on the stowing away .charge,;. On the remaining charges he was. convicted and discharged. George Donaldson,' aged 30. a cook, who was charged with stowing away on the Rotorua on the same date, ,was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. ■ ■-