BOGUS NAVAL OFFICER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23169, 15 October 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)

BOGUS NAVAL OFFICER

'A FORMER naval cook who was said to have posed as a British and as a Japanese naval officer and about whom inquiries were made by the Secret Service, stood in the dock at the Old Bailey, London. Sentence of two years' imprisonment .was passed on the man, Walter Whitehead-Jarvis, aged 34, for obsums of money from two young women and for bigamy. Mr. Maxwell Turner, prosecuting, said that Whitehead-Jarvis, by totally untrue stories as to his position and by promise of marriage had preyed on women and obtained money from them. In April, 1935, accused was married to a Miss Ivy Stone after his previous marriage had been dissolved. He told her ho was a lieutenant-commander in the Royal Navy, and throughout their honeymoon wore the uniform of that rank. They lived together for only 10 days and then parted, as she would not obtain money for him from her relatives. "£9OOO in Japan" In November, 1937, he met a Miss Marjorie Phillips, showed her a photograph of himself in officer's uniform, and in January last proposed marriage. He told her he intended to become a partner in a Brussels firm and required money. As a result Miss Phillips parted with £SB, her entire savings.

While still courting Miss Phillips he met a Miss Dorothea Schottler, proposed marriage to her, and told her that he was a retired lieutenant-com-mander with £9OOO in Japan. It was necessary, he said, for him to go to the East to collect it. Mr. Turner said Whitchead-Jarv is went through a form of marriage with Miss Schottler 011 April 9 at Bournemouth register office. Believing his story, she obtained £2OO from hei mother at Bath, and gave him £l9o to that he could go to Japan. They went to Imperial Airways to book his passage, but, after seeing Miss Schottler on a train to Bath, he went to Bournemouth. He said he Was embarking at Southampton for Singapore. Later ho went with a Miss Hawkcsworth to Sheffield, where lie attempted

Cook Defrauded Young Women

to obain £SO from her by false pretences. He also attempted to obtain £2OO from a Mr. Hobinson there, and he was anxious that these two offences should be taken into consideration. Mr. Turner said Whitehead-Jarvis was arrested at Sheffield, and in an alleged statement said that by telling the story of being a lieutenant-com-mander he obtained £3OO from a man at Luton. Detective-Sergeant Stinton said Whitehead-Jarvis was born at Cairo, the son of a serving soldier. His mother died soon after he was born, and his father remarried. Ran Away From Home Whitehead-Jarvis ran away from home when a boy, and at a London juvenile court was sent to an industrial school at Dundee. He remained there until he was 10, and then worked, on a farm in Scotland. Subsequently he was employed by a Brighton haulage contractor, and later became an assistant cook in the Royal Navy, being discharged owing to ill-health and with a good character. In 1935 ho had a llat in Jerniyn Street, London West, and entertained on a largo scale. The first intimation the police had of him was in 1934, when he was the subject of inquiries by M.1.5 (i.e., a branch of the British Secret Service). He was then representing himself to be an officer of the Imperial Japanese Navv.

On behalf of Whitehcad-Jarvis it was stated tliat Miss Schottler had a good deal of confidence in him, and believed that she coidd make something of him.

In Court Whitchead-Jarvis said, "1 am heartily sorry for the hurt and injury caused to others. "What lias heen said about my life is perfectly true. I had to educate myself, and never for a moment would I have done these things had I not been invalided out of the Navy."