POSED AS INSPECTOR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 21 December 1938, Page 3

POSED AS INSPECTOR

THEN DEMANDED MONEY AUCKLAND WOMAN'S STORY ! I United Press Association! AUCKLAND, 20th December j A young married woman of Armadale | Road. Remuera. reported to the police to-day that a man gained admission to j her house on the pretext that he was! an inspector of electrical wiring and,! after prefunctorily trying switches in various rooms, demanded £2 for Christmas. at the same time, assaulting he: about the mouth and face. The woman told the police that this morning a man of about 30 years of age, well dressed, knocked on the back door and asked her whether she had experienced any trouble with the house lighting system. He carried a notebook with a list of names in it and said he was looking for power leakages. He asked to see the switchboard. "He looked genuine enough.” the woman said in an interview later, "and I allowed him to enter. I left him at the switch board and went into the kitchen. He asked to see the power points and I showed him through to the lounge room. As I turned away to return to the kitchen, he placed his hands over my mouth and demanded money.” The woman struggled to free herself and screamed for help, and he is said to have threatened her if she screamed again. Though she was nearly suffocated with the pressure of his hand on her mouth and nose, she continued. she ! struggled and managed to escape. After \ falling to the floor she freed herself ■ and asked for a drink of water. Then j the man again threatened her and said ! he wanted only money. The woman I got a drink of water for herself and seized the opportunity of running away | through the back door. The man is I said to have followed her. but when i she screamed loudly he walked through the house and left by the front door. As soon as she had recovered her comj posure, the woman telephoned the i police. | The police made an arrest in the city I to-night and a man will appear in the j Magistrate’s Court to-morrow morning.