FALSE PRETENCES

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 May 1931, Page 2

FALSE PRETENCES

WOMAN’S REMARKABLE CAREER. SYDNEY, April 29. A remarkable story ' of a woman’s career of imposture, and fraud was told at the Quarter Sessions yesterday when the trial was concluded of Daisy Ida Wheeler, 40, who was charged with having obtained £2O from Mrs. Mary McDougall by false pretences. The jury round Wheeler guilty, with a strong recommendation to mercy. Detective-sergeant Gallagher stated that Wheeler was a married woman witty four children. There were two previous convictions against accused in Brisbane for obtaining wearing apparel by false pretences. She had defrauded business people to the extent of about £2OOO, having pretended at times that she was the wife of a station owner.

On one occasion, said witness, she went to a Lidcombe monumental mason and ordered a tombstone to put over her mother’s grave. That tombstone had not been paid for. She had given that firm to understand that she was a well-to-do-woman. Wheeler had gone to Melbourne and Adelaide, and had lived there without paying any rent. She sent her children to private schools and had not paid for their education. She had obtained £BO worth of wearing apparel at Katoomba by representing that she was the wife of Mr. Fordyce Wheeler, and that she was a friend of Mrs. T. R. Bavin and Mrs. Arnott. She had also stated that her daughter was engaged to a nephew of the late Mr. John Brown. After hearing Detective-sergeant Gallagher’s statement, the jury withdrew the recomemndation to mercy. Wheeler mentioned two flats, and told his Honor (Judge Edwards) that she did not owe anything for having lived there. His Honor asked the police to make inquiries regarding Wheeler’s statement. Wheeler then pleaded guilty to three other charges of false pretences, the amounts involved being £360. She was remanded till Friday for sentence.