PLEADS GUILTY TO FIVE CHARGES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19154, 21 August 1930, Page 14

PLEADS GUILTY TO FIVE CHARGES.

MAN SENT TO PRISON FOR FALSE PRETENCES.

Henry William Shaw, of. Halswell, forty-four years of age, pleaded guilty, in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, to five charges of obtaining money by false pretences. Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., was on the Bench. The charges against Shaw were as follow:—• That on December 9, 1 929, at Christchurch, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Derrick Osborne Beritly, the sum ol T £1 6s by falsely representing that he supplied the Public Hospital with milk, and that he required the money to remove his horse, which had died on the Lincoln Road. That on or about December 5, 3 929, at Christchurch, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Samuel Penticost. the sum of £l. by falsely representing that his horse had dropped dead on the road, ana that he required the money to remove the carThat on January 2, 1930, at Christchurch, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Clara Berry the sum of £1 by falsely representing that his horse had dropped dead in Holly Road and that he needed the money to remove'the carcase. That on August 16, at Christchurch, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Raymond Shepard Bastion the sum of 15s in money by falsely representing that he required the money to hire a taxi to go to Prebbleton, where his motor-car, which had been stolen from the racecourse, had been found smashed up. That on August 16, at Christchurch, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Raymond Shepard Bastion the sum of 5s by falsely representing that his motor-car had been stolen and that he was a friend of J. R. M’lCenzie. Senior-Sergeant O’Grady stated that the accused used the same story of a dead horse on each of the first three occasions, and, although he had given an undertaking to repay the money, he had not done so. This was not the first time that the accused had been before the court. There were previous convictions against him.

Shaw, when asked if he had anything to say- in his own defence, stated that he had not been drinking for eight years up to last December. In that month drink had been his downfall. If he were placed on probation he thought that he could mend matters, as he had a job that he could go to. The Magistrate: I’ll give you a job to go to!

On each of the first three charges, Shaw was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour. On each of the remaining charges he was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment with hard labour. All sentences were made concurrent.