BOGUS BENEFACTOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21552, 25 July 1933, Page 11

BOGUS BENEFACTOR

CREDIT BY FRAUD " CAUGHT TOO SOON » STORY OF £6OOO TO GIVE AWAY [BY TEEEGHAI'II—OWN CORRESPONDENT] CHRrSTCHURCII, Monday Arrested on Saturday Joseph Gordon Lamb, aged .'57, who had promised to give about £6OOO to Christchurch and its institutions, was charged in tho Magistrate's Court to-day with obtaining credit by fraud by incurring a liability of £8 Os 6d. Ho pleaded guilty and was remanded for a week for further inquiries. Chief Detective Dunlop said N that early on Saturday afternoon, the attention of two detectives was attracted to accused. Ho represented to them that ho was in New Zealand for tho purpose of giving £GOOO to institutions of Christchurch. Not satisfied with his bona fides the detectives took him to tho rolico station. There he maintained stoutly that ho expected to receive on Tuesday, either by draft or cheque, the sum of £6OOO from an anonymous donor. Finally ho admitted tho wholo thing was a hoax. Ho had incurred a debt of £8 Os 6d at a hotel, representing that ho was a surgeon commander and a doctor, of London, who had practised on the Canadian side. "According to his own story ho arrived on tho Mariposa at Auckland six weeks ago," continued tho chief detective. The police had had no means of verifying that and tho chief detective asked for a remand until somo inquiries could bo made. Tho wholo amounts accused was going to subscribe to charitable institutions in this city woro all separately enumerated and set out, and the documents would give tho magistrate an idea of the fraud accused was endeavouring to perpetrate, but tho police got him too soon. Accused had nothing to say., "The extent of his wealth when ho was searched at tho station was 3d," said tho chief detective. "Judging from the way you came into the Court I would say you have been in similar places before," said the magistrate. "You are remanded for a week." Lamb's proposed benefactions were:— £llOO for a new clock; £2OO for two clocks; £250 for tho Mayoress' Fund; £230 for the relief account; £7OO to bo expended by tho Mayor on somo object; £250 for articles for distribution by tho Mayoress; £1650 for a scholarship fund at the Christchurch Hospital; £ISOO for tho Lady Visitors' Association; £IOO for finishing a chapel at the hospital; £IOO for tho cost of tennis courts at the hospital; £l2O for the Y.M.C.A.; £lO5 for a picture for the Art Gallery.