FALSE PRETENCES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21241, 23 January 1931, Page 5

FALSE PRETENCES.

POSING AS RETURNED SOLDIER. A DESPICABLE MATTER. (Per United Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, January 22. Frederick Alexander Daniel Eraser (labourer), who had pleaded guilty to three charges of obtaining from toe Feilding Patriotic Society, the National War Funds Council, and the Southland War Funds Association sums totalling £lO2 9a by falsely representing that he was a returned soldier, appeared for sentence to-day. Detective Sergeant Hewitt said the case was rather unusual. Some years ago the defendant met with an accident whereby he lost an arm. He then conceived the idea of posing as a returned soldier, and so successful had he been that he had completely deceived the bodies, from whom he received in all about £lO2. The Returned Soldiers’ Association had became suspicious, and as a result of inquiries it was discovered that the defendant was an imposter, Some time previously he bad been burned out, and the_ neighbours and others had helped him with the gitt of a separator and other articles. It was one of the finest pieces of “bluff” the detective sergeant had met with. The defendant said that if he had been able to obtain work he would not have committed the offences. The probation officer reported that he had made careful inquiries. The defendant had a bad record, and was nothing but a drunken waster, and probation could opt possibly be recommended. The magistrate (Mr E. C. Levvey) remarked that the whole matter was despicable, and the defendant was sentenced to reformative detention for a period not exceeding two years.