WEDDING WHICH DID NOT EVENTUATE
Would-be Groom Sentenced For Fraud TAXIS’ JOURNEYS IN SEARCH OF CHURCH By -Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, September 9. What counsel described as an extraordinary case of a bridegroom who was unaware of Church and law formalities regarding marriage was that of Norman Case Avison, hotel porter, aged 33, who appeared in the Magistrates’ Court. He denied charges of being idle and disorderly and obtaining credit by fraud for £3/0/6 from taxi-drivers, who were allegedly engaged to drive accused and his bride to the church.
Sub-Inspector Fox said accused came to Auckland from Hastings some weeks ago and obtained work as a gardenol at a suburban rest home. He fell in love with a pantry-maid and they decided to marry. On September 1, two days before the proposed iwedding, he left his work, received his wages, and went to stay at a city hotel. While allegedly making preparations for his marriage, accused incurred debts with taxi-drivers. In each case he paid the first fare and obtained later rides on credit. For the wedding day he engaged three taxis. One took the bride from her home and another carried accused and the best man. The third was kept waiting outside accused s hotel. , , “By some oversight, accused made no arrangements for the wedding, having obtained no licence or engaged a minister or church,” said Sub-Inspec-tor Fox, describing how accused and the bride, in separate cars, drove to various churches before finding one another outside a church in Remuera. After consultation they drove back to the hotel and the bride got disgusted and went home. Accused tried to obtain money to pay oil the taxis ironi the hotel proprietor, who recommended his getting money from the taxidrivers to pay for his board. Sergeant McGettigan produced a statement made by accused after being taken to the police station by one ot the taxi-drivers. He then had oa. m his possession and admitted having no other money or property, but said he mi“ht be able to borrow money to pay his debts. When he arrived at the hotel he had £7/10/-, paying £1 for his room, and later began drinking heavily, leaving himself without enough money to procure a marriage licence. Three taxi-drivers described trips done for accused on the days preceding the wedding and their arrangements for driving parties to the church. Alfred Franklin Smith, who took the bride, said they visited four churches, and in the last, at Reinuera, the minister said he knew of nd wedding having beeu fixed and asked if he could be of any assistance. Spencer Claud Brown said he drove accused to a church in Symonds Street and then to Remuera, where they found the bride. Apparently neither knew which church they were supposed to go to. Warwick Francis Vivian Harvey said he waited outside accused’s hotel until he knew he was too late to take anyone to the wedding. Mr. Noble, for accused, submitted that the drivers were using criminal proceedings to collect a civil debt. There was no intention to defraud the men of their money, even if payment were delayed. The magistrate, Mr. C. R. Orr Walker, said he had no hesitation in saying that fraud was quite obvious in each case. . Sub-Inspector Fox said accused had been previously convicted of fraud and theft in Hastings, and had been imprisoned. Accused was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment on each of two charges, the sentences to be cumulative. On the third charge he was ordered to pay the costs of prosecution, to come up for sentence if called upon within a year and to refrain from taking liquor.
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 296, 10 September 1938, Page 17
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606WEDDING WHICH DID NOT EVENTUATE Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 296, 10 September 1938, Page 17
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