CRIMINALS’ ASSOCIATE

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 November 1929, Page 4

CRIMINALS’ ASSOCIATE

—- U.S.A. CITIZEN’S PROTEST. LONDON, October 15. Mr Eustace Fulton appeared for the police yesterday when Edward Mello (37) a United States citizen living in Clarges Street, Piccadilly, was charged on remand at Marlborough Street with being a suspected person loitering with intent to pick pockets. Mello, when charged a week ago, said he was taken to Vine Street and left there for twenty minutes without a specific charge being made, while Detectives Scott and Stenning, who had arrested him, went out into the street for the purpose, the defence declared, of “concocting a charge.” The dfficers'said they went out to make another arrest. Constable Brown stated yesterday that the detectives were absent ten Or twelve minutes before Mello was charged. Inspector Motture said that after Mello had been searched a letter ■was picked up from under the seat. Mello threw it on the floor with an angry gesture, and said, “That’s not mine. Don’t ‘frame’ this up on me.” Mr. Edmund O’Connor, defending

<asked for a letter from Monty Banks, the film star, which was found on Mello, and this was handed over. Asked by counsel how he justified the delay in charging Mello, the inspector said he was engaged with when M'ello was brought in. Mello, in the witness-box, said that he was paying £8 a week for his apartments. Monty Banks was a friend of his. He (Mello) knew a man named Klein, and had an appointment ,to meet him at an hotel'on the morning of his arrest. He denied the statethat he repudiated a letter. There was nothing in the letter to be ashamed of. It came from a man who signed a £3O cheque found on him. When he went to Scotland Yard later, to claim his money, he said to Stenning, “You know I am not a pickpocket. A man owed me £750, and still owes me £550, and I went to collect the money.” In answer to Mr. O’Conner, Mello said he believed then-that Klein: Was responsible for getting him arrested. Ho had subpoenaed. Klein, but he was not in court. Mi*. Fulton: How long haVe you known a man named John Rogers T—

It may be eighteen or twenty months.. He is the gentleman who signed the cheque?—Yes. > Did you know that Rogers had been a convicted thief? —No. Mello admitted asking the police at Scotland Yard if they, knew his friend Mr. Godfrey, who lived in Park Lane. After scrutinising a police photograph, Mello told Mr. Fulton that he had known Godfrey six or seven months. He did not know that he had been convicted several times. Describing his acquaintance with Klein, he said he was introduced to him last December, and they went ;50-50 over a jewellery transaction with an American. Jt was £5OO of his share .of the commission that Klein owed him. When they met they met at hotels. .After denying that he attempted to pick pockets on buses, he denied that he owed his landlady £ISO. He said it might be £5O. He paid his bills £lOO or £l2O at a time. He had no banking account. He asked his landlady to pass through a cheque given

’ to him by Rogers for £l5O, and it was afterwards dishonoured. Mr. Dunnett, the magistrate, said that criticism of the police as to delay in making the charge ought not to affect his substantial belief in their statements. Mello was a friend of a • highly, paid film artist, and was said by his counsel to be a man of good character. He might be. He had nevei' been charged. The magistrate added that he had no hesitation in believing that the police gave true and accurate evidence as to what happened. He had no doubt that Mello was an associate of a clever' gang of crooks, and in his judgment he was a clever pickpocket. Detective Stenning told the magistrate that Mello,, who was born in (Philadelphia, was an associate of a , 'gang of criminals operating ixx the ( West End and in the country. Mr. Dunnett said that he would treat the case as a first offence, and sentence Mello to two months’ hard labour and recommend him for deport- ( ation. : , Notice of appeal was given and i surety for its prosecution deposited.