Girl Crook Who Duped London Society People

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 71, 15 June 1927, Page 13

Girl Crook Who Duped London Society People

1/rw Characters In High Circles i me amazing career of a farm I ? Mrer’a beautiful daughter, who sucinvaded hfat End society, ’’t who entertained as a fashionable .ess while running a "thieves’ “hen’’ in another part of her flat, when Josephine O’Dare r flve associates were sentenced ■ the Old Bailey for forgery and real name is Skryme. She born in Herefordshire in 1901 and Viutfht up in a cottage until she was •rears of age. At 20 she burst into I vivfair society with such audacity, wit 1 e,,d personality that she became the I a \a3t'’ with certain circles. She I i.nnted with the Quorn pack, owned a § cehorse, was elected to the memberB ~f the Bright Young People’s Club I ad was a guest at exclusive house u Irties and dances. Playing the part I ofa sportswoman she was able to back Horses at £ 100 a time. £520 A Year Flat I oDare obtained a mental mastery i ver a rich elderly man, whom she 'escribed as her guardian, enabling her i ’ rent a Mayfair flat at 42 520 a year. She kept four servants, gave receptions md dances, which were attended, not only by society people, but by many mderworld characters, including a notorious Australian crook. Bill Warren. who is now imprisoned in Prance, and* Morrison, an international card sharper, now' imprisoned in Austria. The black sheep of respectable families, forgers and thieves mixed wi:h Josephine’s fashionable friends and reaped a rich harvest. Finally, when she became bankrupt, j o’Dare’s real character was suspected. | <he further imposed on three wealthy ! rriends, who provided fresh funds, which she squandered on horse racing, oeculation and expensive living. Gang Gaoled O’Dare pleaded guilty to having forged a will under which she purported to receive £15,000, which figured • mong her assets. She was sentenced to 45 years! penal servitude. William Davis, cc-nvicted of conspiring to forge a will and of uttering forged cheques with which he worked systematic swindles on London banks, was sentenced to 12 years. Adrian Morton, convicted of conspiring to forge a will, received three years. His wife, who uttered forged cheques, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment. Frank Miller, who uttered cheques, received 55 years, and John Noonan, stealing cheques, 35 years. Detectives said that Davies hacl thrice previously been convicted. He hid posed as a titled personage. He sas known as captain of the gang and u a forger without an equal in Britain fcr perfect penmanship and rapidity of execution. Even Robbed Her Butler O’Dare obtained approximately £:’<),000, chiefly by sharp practice and forgery. Under assumed titles she also incurred debts. Once she advertised for a butler and engaged an old man to whom a former ynployer had bequeathed £I,OOO. Of this money she robbed him in six weeks, besides an extra E 1,400, his life’s savings.