“GUESSERS”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 98, 28 April 1930, Page 7

“GUESSERS”

RACECOURSE PARASITES TICKETS FOR “THE BOY” HAMILTON, April 23. The offence known in Australia as “tip-slinging” and in New Zealand as “guessing” was charged against Vincent Pobar, with several aliases and a long list of convictions, both here and in Australia, at the Police Court to-day. Pobar was arrested at the recent Hamilton races by Detective Sergeant Thompson after he had obtained two £1 totalisator tickets from an elderly man. James Shirley, by representing that ho (Pobar) was the owner of the racehorse Mithra.

Detective Thompson said that a racecourse detective, Mr Cullen, and Detective White and himself kept Pobar under observation. He heard Pobar advise Shirley to put a “tenner” on Mithra, saying that ho was the owner and Mithra was a “sure thing.” The old man put £5 on and Pobar asked him for two tickets for “the boy.” He got these and arranged to meet Shirley after the race. Mithra was not in the running. Pobar, who pleaded guilty, was sent to gaol for three months for false pretences, and for being unlawfully on the course he was fined £5, in de fault one month’s imprisonment. Patrick James Heath, a recent arrival from Australia, who said ho had been operating with Pobar, pleaded guilty to a charge of having been unlawfully on a racecourse, being idle and disorderly, and being unlawfully on licensed premises after hours. Detective Thompson described both men as parasites, who lived on theii wits and the community.

Heath was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for vagrancy, fined £5 for trespassing on the course, in default one month’s imprisonment (cumulative) and fined £1 for being unlawfully on licensed premises.