UNUSUAL CHARGE

Evening Star, Issue 21582, 30 November 1933, Page 9

UNUSUAL CHARGE

DEMANDING MONEY BY MENACES FROM THE KING CONSULTING ENGINEER ARRESTED Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, November 29. A man who appeared before the magistrate at Bow street this morning was charged with demanding money by menaces from His Majesty the King. The ‘ Daily Herald ’ says the man is a consulting engineer named Clarence Gay Gordon Haddon, forty-three years of age. He was arrested last night at an address in Islington by officers of the special branch of Scotland Yard after an all-day search. It was considered advisable at one period yesterday to put a special guard outside Buckingham Palace, and everybody entering the courtyard was subjected to close scrutiny and questioned. Haddon is six feet high and has a commanding presence. Hp was dressed in a smart lounge suit and carried a typewriter with him to Bow street, where, the ‘Herald’ says, his fingerprints were taken and he was placed in a cell. MAN WITH A GRIEVANCE REMANDED FOR MEDICAL REPORT. LONDON, November 29. (Received November 30, at noon.) The actual charge against Haddon was of “ uttering, knowing the contents thereof, a letter demanding money from the King with menaces and. without reasonable or probable cause.” Crowds waited outside the court, but were prevented from entering during the proceedings. Haddon told a detective: “I made a petition: I made an appeal for justice. I did not demand, I only pleaded. I deny the charge.” Haddon became extremely excited. Several times he seemed on the verge of a breakdown. The prosecutor suggested that it might be desirable to have a medical report, and the accused was remanded in custody till December 4. The evidence stated that when arrested accused said: “This is only the thing I wanted. Ido not see why I should be hounded about for being the illegitimate son of the Duke of Clarence. I do not deny writing letters, which I wanted read in court, but I did not make a “ demand.” Replying to the magistrate, Haddon said: “I’ve only tried to live as an honest man. It has been thrown up at me since I was a kid. I had to leave jobs through it. 1 had to leave the, Imperial Maritime Customs, as when 1 got promotion it was thrown up against me.”