STORY OF INVENTION

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 21, 25 July 1934, Page 16

STORY OF INVENTION

MAN'S FALSE PRETENCE

£75 OBTAINED

PLEA OF GUILTY ENTERED

.An^unusual case of false pretences Was revealed in the Magistrate's Court today when George Edward Owen Cross, a salesman, aged 40, was charged with obtaining £75 from John SidneyStringer, a Customs official, by falsely representing that •he was an intelligence officer attached to the "War Office and had a secret invention which was being.purchased by the New Zealand Government. Stringer .was induced to part with the money regardless of the fact that the accused refused to disclose the nature of the invention or his private address. The accused pleaded guilty, and Mr. E. Page, S.M., committed him to the Supreme Court for sentence. ' Giving ' evidence, Stringer said that he first met Cross two or three months ago. -.Cross said he had a secret inv.ention which was in the -hands of the "War Office, and that he was an intelligence officer attached to that office. Before he could, promise an investment in' the invention he would have to approach the War Office to see if they would select the witness as a suitable investor. Cross met witness again on July 9 at the Queen's "Wharf, and said that a Mr.: Travers of the "War Office had selected witness as a suitable-in-vestor. On the. following day witness met Cross at the Government Buildings, and Cross said he wished to be excused as .he was going to arrange the papers with Mr. Travers. The . total amount witness was to receive at the end of a period of six months was £118. That was for and including the investment of £75. "Witness drew £75 from the' Post Office Savings Bank and handed it to Cross. In return, witness, said, he received sis promissory notes from Cross, five for £1 10s and one for £110; these being interest payments for each month. The money witness gave Cross. was to help float the invention. During the negotiations, Cross said he would not disclose the nature of the invention nor would he disclose his private address. He said he could always be found at the office of Air. Yaldwyn, solicitor. "Witness said that when he gave Cross the money he was told that it would be paid into the "War Office. After witness had received the promissory notes he noticed that the date on one of them made the note due.on January 13, 1934., He went to Mr. • Yaldwyn's office, and on being shown the mistake, Cross altered the date to 1935 and initialled the alteration. After leaving the office witness found that in the numerals of the £ 110 note the figures were £110 10s and in the body of the note, in writing the amount was given as £111. Witness said he wished to point out .the error to Cross, but after making several inquiries he was unable to locate him, and, he. referred the matter to "■ the police. . 1 NO RECORD OF ACCUSED •Major N. W. McD. "Weir, of the New Zealand Staff Corps, who holds the appointment of General Staff Officer for military training and general staff office, said that he had examined the records dealing with the intelligence service of New Zealand and could find no record of the accused. He was not attached to the military forces in any capacity. "Witness's Department was really the War Office of New Zealand. There was no record of the accused ever approaching the Department in connection with a secret invention, and there was no one of the name of Travers transacting business at the Government Buildings on behalf of the Department. . ARRESTED ON SYDNEY BOAT. Detective N. W. Bayliss said that on July 13 the accused was arrested on the Mariposa at Auckland. He had assumed the name of Captain Bradley. On. July 17 at Wellington witness interviewed the accused, who, in a statement, said that it was the fact that he was badly advised, together with the fact that' he required the money urgently in the belief that he was about to be arrested for debt, that caused him to commit the offence. When he first commenced negotiations with Stringer he_ was genuine, but owing to other circumstances he went further than he should have done. At'the pre< sent time he was doing all in his power to return the money to Stringer. He was endeavouring to sell some assets and probably by the time the case was heard the money, would have been returned to Stringer. With the exception of £28, the money was used in paying accounts: and expenses! Mr. S. Hardy, who appeared for the accused, said. that Cross had made an-' other statement in which he alleged that a certain other party- was implicated in the case. If there was anything in that statement-it would prob'-' ably have some bearing'on the question of sentence, ■•■ " •' Mr. Page suggested that Mr. Hardy should submit the matter to"the Judge who would deal with the matter. Detective-Sergeant Eevell said that a report concerning the matter would be furnished by. Detective Bayliss within the next day or; two; ' " '■