FRAUD CHARGE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 111, 6 November 1935, Page 7

FRAUD CHARGE

MAN AND WOMAN'S MONEY

The story of a woman's meeting in a liner with a man who, it was alleged induced her to part with £6300 for which she received nothing in exchange, was told at Marlborough Street Police Court recently, says the "Daily Telegraph." Peter Sven Jensen, aged 26, engineer, was charged with obtaining a cheque for £6300 by false pretences from Doris Marie Hawkins, to be delivered to himself for his own use and benefit, at Park Lane, W He was also accused of two offences under the Aliens Act—being in possession of an irregular passport and using a name other than that by which he was ordinarily known. Mr. Lionel Jellinik, prosecuting, said Jensen's real name was Vladimi Kas Peter Sven Soloveicikas, and he was a Lithuanian. Prosecutrix was a Mrs Hawkins, an Australian. Early this year she was touring with a friend of hers, and in April was in America. She decided to go home to Australia. In the boat, the Mariposa, she met Jensen, who became friendly with her She told him her son had died and left her £10,000 in Australian money, which she had invested in bonds yielding low interest. Jensen said it was a very Ijw rate of interest, and that he had a friend in London, a Mr. Poole, manager of a branch' of the Midland Bank, where he (Jensen) had a large deposit, who would give her much greater interest. "YOU OWE ME £6000." In Australia Jensen married Mrs Hawkins's friend. They decided to go to South Africa—no doubt for their honeymoon—and invited Mrs. Hawkins to go with them. Jensen told her it would be advisable to sell the Australian bonds and have the money removed to London. He gave orders to the Bank of Australasia at Melbourne to sell £6300 worth of bonds and send the money to Mrs. Hawkins's bank in London. About June 27 they left for England by air, arriving on July 6, With Mrs Hawkins they stayed at Grosvenor House, Park Lane. Jensen said he would see Mr. Poole, and later that it was quite all right, and that he could get 7i per cent, interest. Jensen the next day said to Mrs. Hawkins, "Now you owe me £6300." Mrs. Hawkins looked surprised, and said, "I paid in £6300 of my own money." He said he got the money deposited before July 15 as it was necessary to get the money in before the end of the banking year. On July 15 Jensen and Mrs. Hawkins went to the National Bank of Australia, where accused suggested the bank should send Mrs. "Hawkins the cheque, made payable at the Westminster Bank, Park Lane branch, where he had an account. The cheque was sent, and Mrs. Hawkins endorsed it, and it was paid into Jensen's account. Mrs. Hawkins was feeling anxious about the money, and Jensen brought her two documents. Counsel said he would call evidence to show that the signatures on these documents were not those of Mr. Poole or a cashier. One document showed that £6300 had been paid into Mrs. Hawkins's account. It was eventually discovered that no deposit had been made in the name of Mrs. Hawkins. Jensen was remanded in custody.