A BOGUS DOCTOR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10898, 12 May 1921, Page 4

A BOGUS DOCTOR

FRAUDS 9N CITY FIRMS A BOGUS DOCTOR AND A CHEQUE BOOK. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. “This man was born for the stage and in missing that profession he missed a fortune,” said Chief-Detective Ward yesterday, when owning the case for the police against Harold Bruce Anderson. Accused, a slight man of medium height, appeared m the dock, and during the whole of the case trembled violently from head to foot, his face writhing and his body shaking. The Chief Detective’s calm dismissal of his symptoms as ‘‘mere shamming” in no wise affected him, and he continued to quiver bodily and his face to contract until removed.

Anderson was charged with obtaining from G. and T. Young, jewellers, goods to the value of £55. a fur coat worth i £l2 12s, from George and George, drapers, Newtown, and the sum of £5 from William H. Coy, all by means of valueless cheques., and goods valued at £lO 4s from E. C. Browne and 00., by falsely representing {liinself to be one Doctor Anderson, of Wanganui. He was further charged with attempting j to obtain a dinner suit, valued at £lB ! 18s, from the latter firm by the same , pretence. ; Mr J. Scott represented accused; i the case for the police being In the ■ hands of the Chief Detective. FROM NEW SOUTH WALES. ! Raymond Ernest Bennell, accountant of the Te Aro branch of the National , Bank of New Zealand, said he remembered accused calling at the bank on April 28th. He gave the name of ! Hellyer, said he came from New South Wales, and had some money in the bank of that State, and asked for advice as to the best way of transferring his account. He said he was buying for an iron foundry in Wellington, the , name of which witness could not recollect. . Accused had no account in the Te Aro branch of the bank. A CHEQUE BOOK. William Matheson Nairn, clerk in the Te Aro branch of the ’ National Banl? of New Zealand, in evidence, said that on April 28th accused had called at the bank and informed him that he had interviewed the accountant in the morning about getting some money from Australia, and had arranged to open an account. Accused had asked for a cheque book and had obtained one. Anderson had no account at the bank, and consequently any cheques drawn by him on the Te Aro branch of the National Bank would be valueless. “DR. ANDERSON OF WANGANUI.” Thomas Gray Young, of G. and T. Young, jewellers, Lambton quay, said that he knew the accused and had seen him first at 11 a.m. on April 27th last in his shorn Anderson had described himself as Dr. Anderson, of Wanganui, and had said that he wished to purchase ( an engagement ring of two diamonds and a pearl to cost not more than £3O. Accused had also ask- i ed for a wedding ring, a bracelet watch J and a brooch, and said he wished to have them by 5 p.m. the following day. The ring was specially made. To Mr Soott: He had never seen Anderson before, and had accepted his statement that he -was Dr. Anderson. Rita Orane, shop assistant at the firm of G. and- T. Young, in the box, gave corroborative evidence, and said accused had called on April 28th and collected the articles with the exception of the engagement ring. He had asked for two more brooches and these had been, posted to an address at Lyall Bay. Anderson had paid her by a cheque, which had not yet been honoured. To Mr-Scott: She had supposed accused to be on. a visit to Wellington and had. thought it strange that the goods should be paid for by a cheque bn a Wellington bank. Inquiries had been made at the bank, and it had been found that the cheque was not a good one. A VISIT TO E. O’. BROWNE. Bernard Zucker, salesman in the employ of E. C. Browne and Co., Willis street, said he recognised accused as the man _wbo had called at the shop on April 23rd, and represented himself as “Doctor Anderson, of Wanganui,” stating that he was also a cousin of Dr. Anderson, of Wanganui. Accused had purchased , various articles of gentlemen’s attire, and had ordered a dinner suit at a cost of eighteen guineas. The total value of the goods supplied Anderson was £lO 4s. Cross-examined, witness said that Dr. Andetson, of Wanganui, was unknown to him. Accused had represented himself is Doctor Anderspn, and later as a cousin of Dr. Anderson, who was on his way to Wanganui. “You do not give more attention to a man who enters your shop merely because he is a professional man, I take it,” said Mr Scott. “Weren’t you rather impressed by the size of the order the man gave you rather than his statement as to his identity ?” Witness replied in the negative. Dr. Anderson had been communicated with and in consequence of the reply received the dinner suit was not delivered. A VISIT TO NEWTOWN. Alfred Edward Stone deposed that he was manager of the Newtown branch of George and George’s drapery store. He recognised accused as the man who had called upon him o a the'morning of April 28th, and bad pu rch pro 1 :■> fur coat valued at £J3 las. had introduced himself as “Doctor Anderson, of Lyall Bay.” Witness had asked if he were Dr. Andersonf of Willis street, and accused had replied that that gentleman was his cousin. Anderson had paid for the coat by a cheque which was dishonoured. To Mr Scott: He had not looked up Dr. Anderson in the directory before accepting the cheque. A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION - William Henry Ooy, a chemist in business in Newtown, in the box, said that accessed had called upon him on two occasions prior to Apnl 28th, and made purchases. He had then told witness that he was a traveller in the employ of Sargood. Son and Ewen, who was out of work owing to slack- : ness. On April 29th Anderson bad caß- [ ed and given him an order for goods to ; the value of £2 14s. Before leaving ; the shop- he had asked witness to cash ! a cheque for him. On witness consent- . ing, Anderson had written a cheque . for £7 14s, which had been cashed-. Ac- , cased had then left the shop, hut had . returned a moment later and asked for i permission to use the ’phone. Witness . had overheard the conversation, which - appeared to be with a bank, Anderspn i asking if a draft had arrived from Svd- . ney, and if he might draw upon it. Wit- , ness had since ascertained that there , was no account at the bank to meet

the cheque, and the money waa stall owing. “DOCTQR ANDERSON” BY NICKNAME. Detective James Torrance said he arrested accused in Courtenay place. He was smartly dressed and his condition was normal, no violent symptoms being evident. Accused had said he waa not Dr. Anderson, of Wanganui, or a relative of his. He said, “I am called ‘Dr. Anderson’ by nickname. Anderson bad stated that be waa a recent arrival from New South Wales: but had any amount of money and had arranged (or his account in the n—of Neva South Wales to be transferred here. Most of the goods obtained had been found in his room. The fur coat -»nd engagement ring had been found in the possession of a woman who had been seen in his company, and the cheque-book recovered from the taxidriver who took him to the station. He had been in his present hysterical state ever since arrest. Accused said he had torn up his cheque-book, and had been placed in a motor and conveyed to the detective office. On arrival there he had became apparently hysterical, and no information could be got from him. Accused; who pleaded guilty, was committed' to the Supreme unit foe sentence, and an order was made fbt the restitution of the goods.