GAOL AS A REST HOME

Evening Star, Issue 21820, 8 September 1934, Page 4

GAOL AS A REST HOME

RESTAURANT SWINDLER , “ Going., to jJrison, to. me, is like going to a rest home, 1 ’ remarked Hunter Charles Rogers, aged fifty-four, gardener,, on being sentenced at Bow street, London, ,to nine months’ impnsonment with'hard labour for what the magistrate described as a series of ingenious frauds on insurance and other companies. Since the last dav of 1932, stated prosecuting counsel, lingers had made a practice of making false claims in respect of injuries he alleged he had received. In twenty of the twenty-seven oases, he represented that Jio had damaged a tooth through biting a foreign substance in food supplied at various restaurants. In other instances he alleged that he had swallowed glass with his food. , To carry out some of the frauds, continued counsel, accused employed reputable solicitors who had no knowledge that the claims were fraudulent. The claims varied from £4 4s to £lO. 10s, and the total amount involved ; was £Bl 13s. , _ . , ' A detective proved previous .convictions against Rogers for forgery, fraud; arid begging; ... , . ' Rogers pleaded that he had used the money he obtained in trying to trace liis wife and family, whom he lost when’he last went to prison in 1931, He had employed solicitors and detectives to help Jiim in the search, and had “ been through hell." “The more I tried to find them the worse things got,” Rogers added. “I eome from an honourable family, and feel, the loss of my wife and family terribly. Last February I was almost ebnrn-ed with tryjng to take my own life.” •