ROBBED HIS FRIEND

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 April 1937, Page 12

ROBBED HIS FRIEND

MAN DIVED BY FRAUD

LONDON, March 5

Sentence of three years’ penal servitude was passed at the old Bailey yesterday on James Henry Thorburn, .>6, a textile agent, of Parkway. Raynes Park, S.W. He admitted that he robbed a friend over a period of 10 years, and for a. time lived by fraud, at the rate of £2.000 a year. . , . . Thorburn pleaded guilty to inducing Mr. William Graham, a tailor, of Earlsheld Road. S.W.. to sign cheques for £2,139. £1,955, £2,091, and £589 by false pretences, and asked that 51 other offences should be taken into consideration. .. Mr. L. A. Byrne, prosecuting, said that the false pretences were that Thornburn was carrying on a genuine business. There was evidence that he carried on no sort of business at all. Mr Graham became acquainted with Thorburn in 1919 or 1920. They were members of the same church and became very friendly. In 1921 Mr. Giaham financed Thorburn in an export business, but said he did not wish to share the profits. From time to time Thorburn showed Mr. Graham fictitious invoices and shipping notes. In all, Mr. Graham paid Thorburn more than £63,000. He received in return £52,000 odd, which purported to be money obtained in the business. Mr. Graham actually lost £10.867. Other persons had been defrauded in a similar way.

Realising that he was at the end of his tether, Thorburn went to Blackpool, where he attempted to commit suicide by walking into the sea. Mr. Graham received a letter from him in which he said: — Dear Mr. Graham. —When you read this I shall he under the water somewhere far away from London. I am at the end of my tether, my life a fraud. 1 am a. rotter in that I have let down my friends who have trusted me so much. The lies I have had to tell have boon legion. I enjoyed too good a. life; not being able to break it off. I have lived at the rate of £2OOO or more a year; spent it; T have not one penny hidden anywhere. That is the foolish side of mo. I have entertained largely—opera. theatre dinners at the best hotels —these last two years; good holidays, a silver wedding tour, and Urwin’s 21 birthday celebrations- —all very heavy expenses.” Detective-Inspector R. Fabian said Thorburn had one previous conviction. This was at Bradford in 1917, when he was sentenced to three months in the second division for stealing cloth. ‘‘Thorburn has regularly attended church." added the officer. “He has always been a centre of attraction and always wanted to be the big fellow. I understand, from a man in the same office, that about £9O a year would he a lair amount of commission he received from his orders." He added that Mr. Graham, who was 73. had, lost bis savings. But for an extraordinary rise in securities he would have i.e’e'n ’ ma’de ha'nkrupl. —

Passing sentence, the Common Sergeant. Mr. Cecil Whiteley, said: “You defrauded your greatest friend, robbed him of a large sum of money.