£8,OOO DISSIPATED

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14067, 14 February 1939, Page 5

£B,OOO DISSIPATED

SECOND EDITION

DURING PERIOD OF TWO YEARS YOUNG ENGLISHMAN’S AMAZING STORY. Electric Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, Last Night. An amazing story of how a young Englishman of good family oissipateci £BOOO in lavish living over a period of two years and possessed only sevenpence when he was arrested at, Taupo on February 5 was ctold in the Police Court when Alexander Neville Raw son, a, salesman, aged 27, appeared before Air C. R. Orr Walker, S.AI. Detective-Sergeant McHugh prosecuted.

Rawsou admitted seven charges of obtaining a total of £2l by means of valueless cheques and three charges of obtaining a total of £2L 9s 7d credit by fraud.

Detective Slater said he interviewed accused oil February 7 and he made a statement admitting the offences.

Air AlcHugh said accused was single, aged 27, and came from a good, family in England. He left Kugiaud about September, 1938, and travelled to Australia, eventually arriving in Auckland on December 26. He went to stay at the Hotel Cargen and freely gave it out that lie was here on a goodwill tgur on behalf of his father, who is a well-known manufacturer in England. He proved himself to be a free spender and entertained lavishly. He also took the opportunity of letting his father’s local representative know that he had arrived.

About January 9 accused was successful in borrowing £7O from his father’s representative, added Detectice McHugh. This he deposited in the bank and was supplied with a cheque book. That same day his account at the hotel amounted to £23 LBs 3d, and as he had £7O in the bank he wrote out a cheque for that amount and it was met. That gave the , licensee confidence in Raw soil's ability to pay. By January 13 he had issued cheques to the value of £69 3s, leaving abalance of 17 s in the bank Between January 9 and February 2 accused continued to live highly at the hotel, incurring a further debt of £4l 10s, which included board, wine balls, laundry and an air trip to Wellington "On January 21 he cashed a cheque at the hotel for £5 and received this amount in cash.” continued Detective AlcHugh •*Tliis cheque was returned from the bank marked -Refer to drawer.'' He was questioned by the licensee and said he had cabled bis father for money and on January 23 informed the licensee that the money luid actually arrived from liis father. H<- was then allowed to ioinain at the hotel and on January 30 paid his board, £4l 10s 10d, by a cheque which was also returned, marked “Refer to drawer.’

“Rawson appealed to be disgusted it and said he would go straight to the bank and see about it. He cleared on; and was not seen r gain.”

Detective AlcHugh said that from January 23 to February 2 Rawsou incurred a further debt at a hotel to the extent of £l6 10s od. He gave an account of how he cashed other cheques. He then went tc Rotorua and stayed at the Grand Hotel incurring a debt of £1 ss. This he paid with a. che que for £6 5< receiving £5 change. He went to Taupo anti engaged n launch for a day's trout fishing and at the end oi the dav lie paid the man with a. valueless cheque ter £4 10s. the 10s being a tip tar the 1 auneh man. This lie did net get. as the cheque wa s worthless “Apart from tile £7O Dawson borrowed from his father’s representative, he borrowed a furthei £3O from him and got him to guarantee ques amounting to £20.” added Detective* AlcHugh. “He also incurred further debts at the Hotel Carg« i. at Rotorua and Taupo. amounting to £33 17s 6d. He also hired a rent il car for five weeks at- £36. but he is not charged in respect ol that The total amount t>f which ho is nowcharged is £lB9 17s 6d. “His father and also his brother have been communicated with since bis arrest and both have leplied that, they will not be responsible i*>r any of liis debts or assist him in paving them. They further said they did'not want anything to do with him. Prior to coming out here he vu s in difficulties in England concerning ihe same class of offences.” •He is an out-and-out fraud and says lie lias had a good time and enjoyed himself.” said Mr AlcHugh. “He savs that during the past year or two* he has gone through about £BOOO in enjoying himself. Ho says be cannot make anv restitution until he obtains a pot ition he re. He bad seven pence in his possession when nrlestod. There is nothing whatever to be said in bis favour.” The magistrate said he w ;:s endeavouring to come to a conclusion that probation might be justified, but lie found it impossible to do so. Accused had made very serious, deliberate and persistent efforts to make money bv fraud at all times. On the first charge accused was ordered to be detained for reformative puri>osos for 12 months and on the other charges he was ordered to come up for sen-