A RACING "SCHEME."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18174, 21 August 1922, Page 8

A RACING "SCHEME."

i AN OFFICER THE VICTIM. ; JUDGMENT FOR £2000. Major Valentine Alexander Large, ■ Steel Lane, Oxshott, Surrey, was the plaintiff in a confidence trick action in ' the High Court, in which he sued Ernest 1 Rhodes (otherwise Derek Robinson), John i Maudsley Dudley, Alfred Dean, and • James Brennan to recover the value of f cheques for £2000 and ■ £300 received by t the defendants from the plaintiff, ihe defendants were described as of ills i Majesty's prisons at Parkhurst ana ■ Wandsworth." ~ , . Mr. Croome Johnson, for the plaintiff, I said the Court would only be concerned i that day with the defence of Rhodes, 1 who had said in an affidavit that be ' never received tho money. Ths action against Brennan <was proceeding, *na l judgment had been secured against the ? other two. The money had been obtained 1 from plaintiff in respect of an alleged *- Tacing scheme or system- Three of the 3 defendants had since been convicted and • sentenced for complicity in the fraud, and : Rhodes, who was later charged with an- [ others offence, asked that this master k should be taken into account in hi* senT tonce. , 5 Major Largs described his meetings with the defendants, and how he was ? entertained by them at expensive restau- [ rants. For several days, he said, h® was 1 dined at the Berkeley, the Ritz, and f Prince®. Dean was introduced as a "young man with too much money, owning a large farm in Western Australia, * ? and it was said that Dudley was looking 1 after him. (Laughter.) Witness said he was told that in one day Brennan had [ picked up "a cool £6000" in connection „ with racing. . The cheque for £2000 was given, said i witness, after Dudley said he had inr vested £9000 for witness for the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood. Witness protested that he had not authorised the investment. hut subsequently gave a cheque for £2000. Rhodes, who was also supposed to have invested £9000, "regretted he had not got his cheque book with him." (Laughter.) > Counsel: You, unfortunately, ? bad?— • Yes. (Laughter.) ' The party, said witness, went to Goodwood in a Rolls-Royce car, but the horse, Ptah, lost. Some days later witness . agreed to put £300 on a horse running in i Paris. He went there, and saw the races. When he complained of the wav he had ■ been treated, Dudley said, "Well, the ! best thing you can do is to get into a ' taxi and go to Scotland Yard." Witness took the advice. He laid an information, and the defendants were arrested. 1 Mr. Croom Johnson said he would abandon the clf-irn against Rhodes as to ' the £300; i Judgment was entered for the plaintiff , against Rhodes for £2000 and costs.