CREDIT BY FRAUD

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 August 1939, Page 10

CREDIT BY FRAUD

YOUNG MAN’S HIGH LIFE. [per press association.] AUCKLAND,' August 21. The story of a young man who claimed that he was an inventor, and lived at expensive hotels in different parts of New Zealand was told in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., presided. Accused was Samuel Guy Pomeroy, 27, an engineer. He was charged with obtaining on or about May 12, at Christchurch, credit to the value of £29/19/6 from Bernhard Charles Boulton, by fraud; with obtaining on or about June 16, at. Auckland, credit to the value of £3B from Percy Wallace Sampson by fraud; with stowing away at Auckland on June 16 on the Kbtorua, and with a breach of his probation. Accused pleaded guilty. Detective-Sergeant Nalder, who prosecuted, said accused came to New Zealand from Melbourne, landing at Bluff on March 13. lie went to Christchurch, and on April 25 booked in at the United Service Hotel. AL the time accused went to this hotel he had only a few shillings in his possession, and had no immediate prospects of obtaining money. “While at this hotel accused ran up a bill amounting; J.o £29 19/6,” continued Mr. Nalder. “He charged up cigarettes, tobacco, drinks, and toll calls, including one to Australia for £3, knowing that he had no money to pay with. On being asked by the hotel management, accused gave a. number of excuses for deferring payment; but on May 12 he was told to go.

“From there accused went to Wellington, some friend paying his bout fare, and stayed ’at the Hotel St. George for three days. He then went to the Waterloo Hotel. In Wellington he managed to get a relative to guarantee his hotel bill, with the result that the relative was made to met heavy expense when accused left the city. No charge was made in this connection.

“When accused arrived in Auckland on June- 3 he went to the Grand Hotel, where he booked in,” said Mr. Nalder. "In company with another man, accused became friendly with two girls from the Hollywood Hotel Revue, then in Auckland. Accused arranged for the girls to stay at the Grand Hotel, and he personally guaranteed one of the girllg accounts. Accused had no money when he arrived at the hotel, and was not justified in guaranteeing anyone’s account. The members of the Hollywood Hotel Revue were to leave New Zealand for America on the Niagara on June 13, and the two girls and the other man left the hotel. The other man fully paid his portion of the account. Accused said he was staying, and made no effort to pay the account. FOUND ON NIAGARA. “That night the Niagara sailed from Auckland, and when three miles at sea a stowaway was found on board. The ship was stopped, and a launch was sent to collect the stowaway. This stowaway was charged in the Magistrate’s Court next day under the name of Allan Thomas, and was convicted and placed on 12 months’ probation. Tlrnt man was Pomeroy." said Mr. Nalder.

“On leaving the Court, Pomeroy went back to the Grand Hotel. He was risked by the manager—nobody knew of what had occurred the previous night--tor payment, of the account. Accused stated licit, owing to his father’s death a few days previously. there was ?. hold-up in his remittance; but he would have his n<-

count guaranteed. This statement was not, true, and the hotel manager was misled.”

Mr. Nalder said that on the night of June 16, accused left the hotel casually, leaving two empty suitcases in his room, and stowed away on the Rotorua. The only work done by accused from the time he went to the United Service Hotel in Christchurch, until he left on the Rotorua, was three weeks’ casual ’work for the Hollywood Hotel Revue Company on its tour of New Zealand. He worked as an extra in a-flag number. Ho held a flag on the stage for about 10 minutes each night, and received as wages £1 a week. .

“Accused claimed to be the son of the Invercargill-born inventor of the tracer bullet,” continued Mr. Nalder. “While living at expensive hotels he claimed that he had invented a new type of bullet that would ‘startle the world and be a set-back to the totalitarian Powers.’ ”

The police had plans of the accused’s alleged invention. These had been examined by experts, who stated they were worthless. Accused was a professional stowaway, who had stowed away on boats other than the Niagara and the Rotorua.

Sub-Inspector Pender, who prosecuted in the stowing away charge, said the accused was put. on board another vessel when the Rotorua, reached Panama and brought, back to New Zealand.

Accused stated to the Court that when he went to the United Service Hotel he thought he was going to get money from Australia or America. He owned shares which could not be sold, because there had been some hitch in the transfer or power of attorney. He bad never been in trouble before. He wanted to get back to England. The S.M. said accused was an ablebodied man. who was not prepared to do a tap of work. Accused was sentenced to one year’s reformative detention on the charge of obtaining credit by fraud in Christchurch, and was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment ■with hard labour on the stowing away charge. On the remaining charges he was convicted and discharged. George Donaldson, 30, a cook, who was charged with stowing away on the Rotorua on the same- date, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.