BOW STREET COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19748, 26 March 1926, Page 6

BOW STREET COURT.

NEW ZEALANDER CHARGED. ANOTHER REMAND ORDERED. (From Oun Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 12. At Bow street Police Court this morning, "John Desmond,” reappeared before the magistrate on a charge of having obtained money by false pretences. In the lesult he was remanded for a further week in order that he might be medically examined. In the interval following his arrest at the Black Swan Tea Rooms, the police have been busy investigating his record. The accused man, it seems, is a New Zealander. His real name is Alfred Daniel Walton, but there have been a good many aliases. It appears that in March, 1915, at Auckland, he was convicted for false pretences, obtaining credit by fraud, and he was fined £5; in April, 1916, he was sentenced to three months at Dunedin, on a ,charge of false pretences. On release and in order to make retribution, he proceeded north to the Army at Napier In October, 1917, he was in Napier, and then he came to England. In December, 1921, he was sentenced to three months and three months (to run concurrently) at South-Western Police Court, charged with false pretences. At the same court, early in October, 1922, he was sentenced to three months, three months, and three months, for false pretences, then calling himself Edgar Turner. In October, 1924, as James Allen, he received sentence of six months, three months and three months—three separate charges—at (he West London Police Court, for false pretences. At the end of July, 1925, as Jack Sbott, he was again before the SouthWestern Police Court, and again sentenced. On December 7, 1925, he was released from prison, and he is now under charge, as John Desmond.

When the case came up this morning, Desmond was represented by Mr Dagg. Detective-Inspector Rosie read a list of previous convictions.

. Counsel said that a brother was present in court, a responsible man in good position. This brother arrived in England on the very day that prisoner was arrested. Prisoner had got to get work and he (coun sel) would rather that his reformation were carried out in New Zealand than here. In the witness box, the brother said he would do anything in his power for the prisoner. The Magistrate: This has been going on for years. The Brother: My brother was a model son. The Magistrate: How is it that he has done no good ? The Brother: He had a very serious illness, pneumonia, after which an abscess developed in the brain. ' Thereupon the magistrate ordered another remand, for medical examination.