WRONG MAN ARRESTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20152, 12 January 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

WRONG MAN ARRESTED.

IDENTITY PARADE MISTAKE.

TAKING OF FINGER-PRINTS.

AN ALLEGED DIAMOND FRAUD. How a man was wrongly arrested through a mistake being made at an identity parade was revealed recently at a London Court. Barouch Hegdis, aged 55, commercial traveller, of Stoke Newington, who was described as " alias J. Harris, was charged with stealing £SOOO from Mr. G. F. Longhurst in February last, by substituting worthless stones for diamonds, valued at £9OOO.

At a previous hearing it was stated that Mr. Hegdis was picked out by a Mr. Rose, who was to have been a witness, from among ten other men. Later, Mr. Rose informed the police that he had made a mistake.

The magistrate stated that the Public Prosecutor had notified him that he did not desire to intervene, and therefore the charge would be withdrawn. Mr. Wickham, defending counsel, applied for costs, bulb the magistrate said that he had no power to deal with costs in a case of this sort.

Mr. Wickham stated that Mr. Hegdis had been put to a great deal of trouble and expense. When he was arrested he had his finger-prints taken, and was subjected to other indignities. He asked the Court to say that Mr. Hegdis left the court without a stain on his character.

The magistrate remarked that he was not satisfied that the charge was not made in good faith. Mr. Wickham: Ten times the witness walked along the line of men put. up for identification. After a conversation with a police officer he asked for the men's hats to be removed, and it was only then that he picked out Mr. Hegdis. The identification was a ridiculous one, to say the least.

The Magistrate: In this case the witness went voluntarily to the police and stated that he found he had made a mistake. How is it possible to say, in those circumstances, that when he first picked out the man he was not acting in good faith.

Mr. Wickham: It was only after speaking to a police officer and asking for the hats to be removed that the attempted identification was made.

The magistrate added that he did not think it would be right to award costs. Mr. Hegdis was released on his own bail immediately the police were told that a mistake had been made. The charge was withdrawn.