EXTRADITION SOUGHT

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 102, 24 January 1930, Page 9

EXTRADITION SOUGHT

FALSE PRETENCES CHARGE The custody of J. Bloomfield for return to Sydney to face a false pretences charge was sought by a representative of the New South Wales police in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Bloomfield, who was stated to be known as J. Bloom, was charged with obtaining from Wilfred Robert Bailey, at Sydney, on December 14, 1929, 100 dozen men’s halfhose, valued at £240, by means of false presences with intent to defraud. Accused’s occupation was given as a mercer and his age at 28. Mr. E. Page, S.M., was on the Bench. Detective-Sergeant Holmes prosecuted and Mr. J. Meltzer represented the accused, who was allowed to occupy a seat alongside his counsel. . Police Detective Arnold, of Sydney, New South Wales, produced a warrant tor the arrest of accused signed by J. A. b. Balmain, a Chamber Magistrate of the Central Police Court, Sydney. Witness said that when he read the' warrant to accused he replied that the amount was £B2/17/6 and not £240 as stated in the warrant. Detective Arnold also produced a re-entry permit applied for by accused on December 11. 1 * s \ T tor the custody of accused for return to New South Wales, where the offence is alleged to have been committed and the witnesses reside/’ said the detective. Mr. Meltzer: When you saw accused he said the amount was £B2/11/6 and not the sum mentioned in the warrant. Detective Arnold: That is so. Accused did nbt admit he was guilty of the charge in the warrant?— Oh, no. I take it you are familiar with the type of permit necessary for a person to leave Australia? —“No permit know of is necessary between Australia and New Zealand.” The Magistrate remarked that a passport was generally required to get into a country, not to get out of it. Detective Arnold went on to say that as a result of his inquiries five nther charges relating to similar transactions as the one in the present charge were i pending against accused. Several sums alleged to be owing to various firms for goods supplied to accused were read out by witness, who also produced a cardboard sign taken from accuseds shop window in Darlinghurst stating he was removing, and also photographs o shop with the sign on the window. Detective Hayhurst, who produced the provisional warrant for accused’s arrest, Mid accused had booked a passage to sail by the Ruahine for England, on his W Mr.’ to Mritzer d applied for the discharge of accused on the ground that the application was not made m good faith, nor was it in the interests of justice to return him. The matter was really a civil one. The action was a trumpedup criminal charge to get accused back to Sydney so that Bailey and others could exercise their civil remedies. “If the accused is returned to Sydney,” said counsel, “it will mean the police are a debt-collecting firm for private people.” To allow counsel to confer further with his client as to the possibility of appeal should the order be made, the hearing was adjourned till this morning.