FALSE PRETENCES

Southland Times, Issue 20172, 7 May 1927, Page 5

FALSE PRETENCES

WRONGFUL SALE OF A PIANO. A married man, named Sydney McMillan, with a large family, was charged in the Police Court yesterday morning before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., with obtaining from John Holloway the sum of £l5 by falsely representing that a piano was his property. Accused elected to be dealt with summarily and pleaded guilty. Detective-sergeant Carroll reviewed the circumstances of the offence, which was caused through the hire-purchase system. Accused had bought a piano from Begg and Co. valued at about £l2O, and had paid a deposit of £lO. He had made subsequent payments up to £3O. Matters had later gone badly for the accused, who was out of work with a large family to keep. He had taken the piano into Holloway’s and had obtained £l5 on it. Accused stated that he merely pledged the piano for that amount, though the transaction went through as a sale. Holloways admitted, however, that accused had asked them to hold the piano for some time. Detective-Sergeant Carroll said that he had no sympathy with Beggs, who had no right to sell a piano worth £l2O to a man in the position of accused, who could pay only £lO down. Nor did he have much sympathy for Holloways who would give only £l5 for a piano worth very much more. Accused had a large family and had been up against it. If he were convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, that would meet the case. The Magistrate concurred in this view and convicted accused and ordered him to come up for sentence within a year if called upon. A request by accused that his name be suppressed was refused.