COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

Grey River Argus, 4 May 1944, Page 5

COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

IMPERSONATION CASE Charges Against M. B. Roberts

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, May 3. The impersonation of a doctor, the assumption of the name of a surgeon commander, theft, indecent assau.t of a female, false pretences and deceiving a dockyard guard, were among the charges brought against Murray Beresford PvOberts, 25, student, in the Magistrate’s Court at Rangiora, this morning, before Mr. F. F. Reid S.M. t x Jeannie Worner, widow, Oxford, was the first witness. She said that • her husband, for some months before his death, was confined to his bed, and was a patient of Doctor Minty of Oxford, who prescribed morphia. She noticed a change for the worse in her husband on Febuary 26, and two days later, a man who said he was doctor Burcher was sent for. Roberts was the man. He said he would get some medicine for her husband, and something for his eye. Roberts said her husband would live seven days, but he died the same day. Doctor William Eric Minty, of Oxford, said he arranged with a man named Peryer to obtain a doctor to relieve him. He was rung up by a man calling himself Burcher, who said he . had been qualified for about three and a-half years. Arrangements were made to meet. Later they visited Peryer’s office and the fee was discussed. Accused, asked ■ what he thought was. a fair fee replied “the sky’s the limit.” Witness asked accused what was his minimum, Peryer helped out by saying unqualified men were getting fifteen guineas a week for locum work. Witness then agreed to pay 15 guineas

a week. Minty added that the accused accompanied him to Oxford and later /they discussed .patients. Before leaving he made it clear to accused that he did not want him to use the residential part of the house. Examing his day book after his re- ; turn on March 5, he thought the ■entries were very careless. There were a lot of .errors and on going through the case with “Burcher,” he found him very indifferent about his patients. He deducted £l6 from “Burcher’s” account for damage in the home. Accused was iir a hurry to leave. A woman witness said that on March 2 she met “Dr Burcher” at the surgery which she visited in connection with her impendinn confinement. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, May 3. Other witnesses included Lieut. John Barry O’Regan, who is attached to Army Headquarters at Wellington. He stated that he knew Dr. Burcher. He said that the latter had not returned to New Zealand since his embarkation for overseas service on September 7, 1943. Detective Bruce Harry Constable,, Christchurch, gave details of interviews with accused. Roberts told witness that he knew Dr. Burcher well, having been at the medical school with him, and that he knew Dr. Burcher was overseas. Accused admitted writing out and signing a death certificate in respect of A. O. Worner. He detailed his movements at Oxford, and said that he had no authority to use Dr. Burcher’s name. His reason for impersonating Dr. Burcher was a personal sense of ego.

Cross examined, witness said that he believed accused was a man of property as a beneficiary in an estate. He had been a medical student at Otago University from 1937 until 1940. He had ascertained that accused had, at various times, impersonated other people. ' He had represented himself to be a man who came to New Zealand on a flying-boat with Captain Burgess. Accused had said that he had impersonated these people to make others think he was someone of importance. For half an hour after Dr. Minty left, the accused would have given anything to get away, he had said; but when the women came to the surgery, he felt that he would have to examine them. All money involved in the summary charges had been refunded. It was not a case of an ordinary confidence man who was out to get money from all and sundry. Addressing the Court on the summary charges, Senior Detective Nuttall said the accused had gained access to the Devonport Naval Base by representing that he wa's an officer of the Royal Australian Navy. He had' come to Christchurch, where he impersonated Dr. Burcher, and at Cust he had obtained from a hotelkeeper the sum of £5 by representing that he had left £l2O at Dr. Minty’s place. The Detective said that stolen pyjamas had been abandoned at a hotel at Kokatahi, Westland. He had gone to Greymouth as locum tenens for Dr. Bird, but he became aware that he was suspected as an imposter. He took Dr. Bird’s car, obtained eight gallons of petrol in Dr. Bird’s name, and drove to Christchurch. There he shipped the car back to Greymouth at Dr. Bird’s expense. Mr. Bradley said he did not propose to call any evidence, but said that statements about the accused’s medical history would be submitted in the Supreme Court.

On each of the indictable charges the accused was committed! to the Supreme Court for sentence. On each of the other charges he was convicted and remanded for sentence on a date to be appointed.