THREE YEARS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19146, 1 November 1927, Page 5

THREE YEARS.

SCOUTMASTER GOES TO GAOL. [TBS ?*BSS Spteltl S.rrlce.] AUCKLAND, October 31. "I look,upon this as a very serious ease indeed. The institution with which you have been associated—the Boy Scouts' movement —is. probablyone of the finest institutions of its kind ever founded. Its main idea is to inculcate morality, honesty, and good citizenship into the minds of its members. In order to secure that the authorities a.f obliged to invite persons of mature age to take charge of the boys in the movement, and teach them in these directions. You held that appointment, and instead of teaching them you went the other way about, and attempted to teach them serious things that may affect the. boys' whole lives."

In this manner Mr Justice Reed addressed Thomas John Davies, aged 59, ex-scoutmaster, commission agent, and inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, of Taucame before him in the Supreme Court this morning for sentence or. five charge, of indecent assault on' young members of his troop. Mr Mackay, for the accused, said he understood that the accused prior to the commission of tho offences had borne an exemplary character, and suggested that tho lapses were due to some physical or mental defect, although an examination had disclosed neither. Probably the offences were a passing phase in accused's life, and he therefore suggested that a short period of imprisonment would meet the ease.

His Honour, ia sentencing the accused, said that had the jury not rec rnnended mercy on account of accused's age, he would have inflicted a penalty more sever© than he intended to. He must make the penalty heavy to warn men associated with such organisations as the accused was connected with that offences of the nature disclosed were treated seriously by the Court. Accused was then sentenced to three years' imprisonment.