Bale v Rosier On two occasions the defendant obtained board and lodgings from two landladies without paying for
them. Two charges were preferred against him, each alleging that contrary to s 16(1)a of the Theft Act
1968 he had, by deception, dishonestly obtained for himself a pecuniary advantage, namely ‘the evasion
or deferment of a debt’ of a specified sum for board and lodging from, in each case, a named landlady
for which he was liable.