A travelling oculist who preyed on the credulous poor of Freshwater was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for fraud on this day in 1906 – 120 years ago today.
Patrick Shay had circulated flyers across Freshwater announcing his ’30th annual visit as an optician’. He claimed to represent the Southampton Free Eye and Ear Hospital and said he was seeking test cases among the working class who could not afford to attend the hospital.
Residents were told their eyesight would be tested free of charge – but after Shay peered into their eyes, he warned that they faced cataracts, blindness, insanity or even cancer unless they purchased his spectacles.
Frightened by his alarming predictions, several women handed over their money. Mrs Jane Reason was deceived of 14 shillings (£75 in today’s values), while 2 other local women each paid 10s and 5s respectively for the worthless glasses.
The spectacles, worth only 1s 6d at retail (£8 in today’s values), quickly proved to be harmful rather than helpful.
Suspicious, the victims contacted the Southampton Free Eye and Ear Hospital, only to learn that Shay was entirely unknown to them. The police were called and the fraudster was arrested.
In court, Shay maintained that he was both an optician and an oculist, boasting that the Deputy Chief Constable of Hampshire had used his services and was satisfied with his spectacles – a claim firmly denied by the officer in question. Shay further insisted that no examination or diploma was required to practise as an oculist.
The jury found him guilty without hesitation. It was then revealed that Shay had a history of similar deceptions, having previously carried out fraudulent schemes in Chester and Portsmouth.
During sentencing at Portsmouth Quarter Sessions, Chairman W W Holding remarked that it was vital to protect the credulous poor from such calculated trickery.
The prosecutor took the opportunity to warn the public, asking the press to make it known that no hospital ever sends out representatives to test the eyesight of the poor, in hopes of preventing further frauds of this nature.
They obviously didn’t see that coming, they should have gone to
Specsavers
Great story but it shows that nothing changes