Bigamist Remanded for Sentence

Northland Age, Volume XVII, Issue 64, 14 May 1948, Page 2

Bigamist Remanded for Sentence

OFFENCE AT MANGONUI

Arthur Raymond Walden, aged 33, a labourer of Auckland, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of having committed bigamy, before Justices of the Peace, Messrs. J. T. B. Taaffe and F. Holder, at the Kaitaia Courthouse yesterday. He was remanded for sentence to the Supreme Court, Auckland.

Detective Sergeant E. W. Mahood of Whangarei prosecuted and Mr. R. H. Kelly represented the accused. The charge read “That having on June 27th, 1945, married Jessie May Pearson at the Baptist Church, Hamilton and being thus married, went through a form of marriage on January sth, 1948, with Hilda Greaves at the office of the Registrar of Marriages at Mangonui, you thereby committed bigamy.” Evidence submitted by the accused’s wife, Jessie May Walden of Hamilton, showed that after 7 months the accused had lost interest in their marriage. At Easter, 1947, accused, while under the influence of liquor, had assaulted witness, who left shortly afterwards. A separation agreement by Court Order at Hamilton in July 1947, had been entered into, under which accused was to pay maintenance for witness and a child of the marriage. Accused, said witness, had paid no maintenance since December of last year and she had not seen him since the 23rd of that month. On March 30th, 1948, witness said that accused had phoned her, saying that he was staying in an hotel at Wellington and was leaving for Australia in a few days. She had not instituted divorce proceedings and did not know of any such action taken by the accused. Hilda Greaves, domestic, wh 0 lives w’ith her parents at Parapara near Mangonui, stated in evidence that she met the accused at a dance at Frankton Junction on March Bth, 1947. He told her that he had been married but was divorced. In June last year, he suggested marriage to witness and in January of this year they went through a form of marriage at Mangonui. Accused then gave his name as Waldenstrom, saying that it was his correct name

Detective-Sergeant Mahood in evidence, produced a statement made by the accused at Whangarei on the Bth of April, 1948. In it accused admitted the offence and said that there had been no proceedings instituted for divorce from his wife.

To Mr. Kelly, witness said that he was aware that the accused was at present serving a three months’ sentence for failure to comply with a maintenance order in respect of his wife and child. Asked if h e considered entering into a second form of marriage the action of a normal person, witness replied, “He’s either a fool or criminally minded to go through a form of marriage while under a Court Order for maintenance.” Mr. Kelly : “It would be obvious to any sane person that he would be found out?” Witness : “I should imagine so.” Witness added that the accused had been quite frank in his admissions and had made no attempt to conceal either the original marriage or the alleged offence.