SERIES OF OFFENCES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4956, 16 February 1937, Page 4

SERIES OF OFFENCES

LABOURER’S THREE ALIASES. CONVICTED ON SEVEN COUNTS. After posing variously as a Public Works Department timekeeper, as a student doctor and as a member of the New Plymouth hospital medical staff, a quick change act which- called for thi-ee aliases, a brief but brisk return to crime resulted in the appearance of Richard Hugh Champion, aged 26 years, a labourer of Auckland, before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday. When arrested he was a guest of a leading New Plymouth hotel and had assumed the title of “doctor.” Champion, who had a previous list of convictions, faced a total of seven charges comprising' false pretences, conversion and theft. He pleaded guilty to all counts and elected to ne dealt with summarily. Convictions were recorded in each instance and sentence will be delivered to-day. All the New Plymouth offences were committed within a few hours on February 5, Champion being charged with stealing a man’s overcoat, valued at £7, with converting a motor car valued at £2OO, the property of Mildred Pauline Kasper, and with stealing a woman’s coat and cardigan of a total- value of £2 10s. The charges of Te Kuiti offences, committed about two or three days earlier, were that he obtained £2 from Fred Green, 10s from J. H. Waltford and 10s from H. P. Allen by false pretences, representing that he was employed "by” the Public Works Department, Te Kuiti, as a .timekeeper. He was also charged with stealing a book valued at 15s, the property of Green. The particulars of the alleged of-, fences were outlined by Detective A. Jenvey, who stated that Mrs. Kaspar’s car, left in Egmont Street at 1.15 p.m. on February 5, was found later in Vivian Street with a damaged mud- • guard. On the same afternoon Mr. Chatterton’s-. car, parked near the White Hart Hotel, was evidently pushed from its parking place into Robe Street. When interviewed, Champion denied having removed Mr.-. Chatterton’s car but admitted' that he had. helped to push it, Detective Jenvey 'continued. Champion had said that he tried to find the owner of the coat. He sold it next morning, giving another name and describing himself as a student doctor. It was found that Champion was a guest at a leading New Plymouth hotel under the' name of Dr. Harrier. Stayed at Te Kuiti. A file from Te ‘Kuiti, continued Detective Jenvey, showed that Champion had stayed at a hotel in that town under his correct name. He told the proprietor, Mr. F. Green, that he was a timekeeper in the Public Works Department on transfer from Hamilton and that his car had been bogged near Te Awamutu. Mr. Green lent Champion -£2, also two volumes of “The Three Musketeers,” valued at 15s. Champion told two other men that he was a timekeeper and on the strength of that he obtained 10s from each. He then cleared out to Taranaki. “Obviously in the face of the convictions and the present series of charges it is very difficult to say a great deal on Champion’s behalf,” said Mr. J. H. Sheat. Champion came to Taranaki looking for work and he had obtained work at a farm near Pio Pio. The whole of the New Plymouth offences Champion had attributed to drink. When at Te Kuiti he had expected a money order from Auckland and borrowed on this account. When the money did hot come to hand he foolishly disappeared from Te Kuiti, an action which appeared to be the beginning of the series of offences. : The magistrate stated that he would take a little time to consider what penalty he would impose. He convicted Champion and will pass senterice to-day. ;