AN UNUSUAL CASE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 27 September 1918, Page 8

AN UNUSUAL CASE.

CHARGE AGAINST SECOND Dl- © VISION RESERVIST.

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DANNEVIRKE, Sep. 27. A somewhat unusualoase was heard before Mr Dyer, S.M., in, which Sydney W. Mead was charged with wilfully deceiving ,the Government Statistician respecting the number of his children. Mead first gave the number of his children as three and subsequently four, but investigations elicited the fact that he had three legitimate children and ontf illegitimate. The last named, defendant alleged, had been taken by his wife to b& brought up as the twin brother of her last-born child, both1 legitimate and illegitimate having arzived about the same time.

Defendant, however, who was not supporting his wife and three legitimate children, and was now living with another woman, has now been put into Class Aof the Second Division. He contended that he acted in all good faith, being of opinion that the illegitimate 'Jhild had been legally adopted.

Defendant was fined £10 or two months' imprisonment, the Magistrate informing him that he was living like a beast.