CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Witness, Issue 3611, 29 May 1923, Page 26

CITY POLICE COURT

VTedkesdat, Mat 23. (Before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) False Representations.— William Alfred Potter pleaded guilty to a charge of having, with intent to defraud, obtained from one Thomas Henry James Whyte the sum of £4 14s Id by falsely representing that he was suing one Janies Mitchell, a farmer, of Mosgiel, for £3O. —Sergeant Dunlop stated that on March 15 the accused went to board with Whyte, and at that time represented to him that a man named Mitchell owed him £3O, and that ho was suing him for that amount. He also stated that Mr Hanlon was working up the case. On the strength of the representations made Whyte gave him board and sums of money totalling £4 14s Id. Whyte subsequently became suspicious, but to get over that difficulty the accused went to Mosgiel and sent a telegram purporting to be from Mitchell, offering to make a settlement at the Bank S)f Xew Zealand corner. The accused next informed Whyte that the amount, of the debt had grown, and that Mitchell had offered to settle it for £59, but that accused had refused to accept less than £6O. The accused had sent two letters to Whyte, piuporting to come from Mr Hanlon's office. One was dated March 26. and the other was undated. In reply to a question by the amgistrate, Sergeant Dunlop stated that so |ar as he police knew the accused «as a native of London, and had arrived here in 1915. He was employed by the Post and Telegraph Department for a time, and since then had been doing labouring work. lie had been in the Hospital for about six weeks as the result of an operation.—The Rev. V. O. B King s’ id that if the accused were admitted to probation an effort would be made to find work for him in the country, and an order on his wages would bo given The speaker expressed the opinion that the man’s lapse was due to drink, and stated that he would agree to take out a prohibition order- Sergeant Dunlop stated (hat the accused owed practically a month’s board in addition to what had been mentioned. —The accused was remanded for a week to ena’ le the probation officer to furnish a report. ,