Alleged Fraud – Denaby Soldier’s Wife Charged

October 1918

Mexborough and Swinton Times October 12, 1918

Alleged Fraud
Denaby Soldier’s Wife Charged

On Saturday at Doncaster, Ruth Gedney, wife of a soldier, of Denaby, was charged in custody with obtaining £1 18s 6d by false pretences from the Paymaster General

Mr WM Gichard explained that the charge was that she obtained the money between April 2, 1917 and May 17 this year. It was made up of 11 items of 3s 6d each in respect of a child.

Prisoner’s husband joined the Army in 1915, and there was then dependent the prisoner and three children. Certain allowances were made to the wife, which were continued until April 1916, when owing to certain misconduct they were stopped.

In February 1916, two months before the allowances were stopped, the youngest of the three children died. The allowances were afterwards resumed in respect of the children, and continued to May 20th 1918.

The amount altogether which the defendant had received in respect to the dead child was £16 15s, but the amount with which they had charged her only represented the actual sums they were able to prove.

That the defendant knew she was obtained the money wrong with it was clear from the fact that on three separate occasions in our own handwriting she represented the three children is living and under her care.

When charged upon arrest she said she knew she had had the money but she did not know she was doing wrong, as her husband had notified the commanding officer in the early part of 1916 that the child had died.

Prisoner told the magistrates she did not know she was doing anything wrong.

Mr Gichard in applying for an adjournment, said he did not oppose bail.

The case was adjourned for a week, prisoner being allowed bail in her own recognissances of £5. Earlier