Somerset County Herald & Taunton Courier Saturday 14 Jun 1947
Page 8 Column 6
Sold Irish Sweep Tickets
Three Men Fined at Somerton
Defendant Claimed to Have Won £25,000
Richard Thomas MALE, independent, of Wagg Drove, Huish Episcopi, was fined £1 on each of three summonses in connection with the sale of Irish Hospitals' sweepstake tickets for the 1947 Derby, when he appeared at Somerton Justices Court on Monday.
MALE pleaded guilty to having in his possession, for the purpose of sale, 96 chances in the lottery known as the Irish Sweepstake and he also pleaded guilty to attempting to send by post out of Great Britain £15, which was received from the sale of tickets in the same lottery.
He pleaded not guilty to inviting the Hospital Trust (1940), Ltd., Ballsbridge, Dublin, on March 28th, 1947, to send lottery tickets into Great Britain to be sold.
Two other defendants, Frederick Ronald TROTT, baker, 15, Garden City, Langport, and William John KNAPP, licensee of the Miller's Arms, Huish Episcopi, were fined £1 each for selling tickets in the Irish Hospitals' sweepstake between March 1st and May 2nd, 1947.
Supt. John HANHAM prosecuting, said the summonses had been brought by the direct instructions of the Home Office to the Chief Constable of Somerset. He stated that certain admissions by MALE had simplified the enquiry and throughout MALE had been thoroughly frank to the Investigating Officer.
DEFENDANT'S ADMISSION.
Inspector D. W. TAYLOR (Yeovil), who carried out the investigations, said he showed MALE a registered envelope and asked him if he had sent it and MALE replied “Yes.”
After being cautioned MALE said, “That is all right, I understand. Is it illegal to sell Irish sweepstake tickets?” Inspector TAYLOR told him that it was. MALE then said, “You don't think I should have addressed the envelope to the Hospital Trust if I had known it was illegal. I could have sent it to a private address.” MALE's name and address was on the back of the registered envelope.
MALE was also shown three books of counterfoils, £15, and a letter signed by R. T. MALE, with a request for nine more books of sweepstake tickets (the contents of the registered envelope). When asked what the £15 was for MALE stated, “£5 for each book – the money is in payment for the tickets which were in the three books – but I did not actually sell the tickets.”
Asked by Inspector TAYLOR where he got the books of tickets, MALE told him “They were sent to me by the Hospital Trust by post. I did not ask for them in the first place – they just sent them, as they had my name through my winning a first prize of £25,000.”
In a signed statement, which he made to Inspector TAYLOR, MALE said he did not know it was illegal to distribute the sweepstake tickets as he had about 12 or more books. He still had some left. Eight books, with twelve tickets in each he gave to Inspector TAYLOR. “This was the first batch I sent away.” he explained. “I have sent four or five others since and no doubt you will be coming back to see me again.”
Cross-examined by Mr. C. J. ARROW, Yeovil, for defendant, Inspector TAYLOR said that MALE did not try to conceal anything.
NO ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL.
Mr. ARROW contended that MALE proved that he had no idea that what he was doing was wrong as he openly signed his name and address on the back of the envelope which contained the counterfoils and money.
“I don't think any great harm has been done by this act of Mr. MALE's,” he said. “I stress that a great number of people buy these sweepstake tickets and there is not doubt that the Irish hospitals benefit greatly by them.”
The Justices ordered that the £15 should be confiscated and the books of tickets and counterfoils destroyed. Referring to the money, Mr. T. WATSON, who presided, remarked “We have saved it from going out of the country.”
Frederick Ronald TROTT pleaded guilty to selling sweepstake tickets. In a statement to Inspector TAYLOR he said “I heard about Mr. MALE winning the Irish sweepstake last year and took the opportunity of having some tickets from him. Apart from some I kept myself I have sold the rest to various people. Had I known it was not legal it would not have entered my head to have done it.”
TO HELP CHARITIES.
Mr. ARROW said TROTT was a man who did what he could to help charities. As well as belonging to various committees he had assisted in raising funds for the Langport Welcome Home Fund, the Red Cross, Langport First-aid Party, Langport and District Ambulance, the Royal Air Forces Association, the Lord Mayor's National Flood Distress Fund, and other charities. “He tells me,” said Mr. ARROW, “he would not have touched this had he not thought he was doing some good for the Irish hospitals.”
William
John KNAPP pleaded not guilty to selling sweepstake tickets. To
Inspector TAYLOR KNAPP stated, “I did have two books from Mr.
MALE and I have sold them, mostly to members of the family and
friends. As Mr. MALE won last year and got his money I thought it
must be legal now.”
Mr. ARROW asked Inspector TAYLOR if
KNAPP had told him that he gave the tickets away to his family and
friends and Inspector TAYLOR replied “No.”
In
evidence KNAPP said he bought a book of tickets from MALE for £5
and did not sell any. In answer to Supt. HANHAM he said he gave them
to his wife, his sons, Clifford (2), Leslie (2), Jack and Jack's
young lady, and to Mrs. PITTARD (2) and Mrs. RUSSELL, close friends
and neighbours, and he kept the remainder. He did not accept any
money for them and there was no financial agreement between his
family and friends and himself. He bought them to help the Irish
hospitals, although he did not overlook the chance that one of the
tickets holders might win a prize.
“The Superintendent seems
to find it hard to believe that a man would distribute £5 worth
of tickets to members of his family and friends.” remarked Mr.
C. J. ARROW. “I do,” replied Supt. HANHAM.