KILLING OF WARDEN

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31081, 9 June 1966, Page 10

KILLING OF WARDEN

Two Appeals Rejected (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) MELBOURNE, June 8. The Court of Criminal Appeal today rejected the appeals by the Pentridge gaol escapers, Ronald Ryan, aged 41, and Peter John Walker, aged 24, against their .convictions for the killing during their escape of Prison Officer George Henry Hobson, on December 19 last year. Both escapers were presented for trial charged with the murder of Hobson, and on March 30 Ryan was found guilty of the charge, and sentenced to death by Mr Justice Starke.

Walker was acquitted of the murder charge, but found guilty of the manslaughter of Hobson, and sentenced to 12 years’ gaol. Judge Harris yesterday gaoled a man for 12 months for assisting Ryan to escape. "If people commit acts which prevent dangerous, desperate men from being apprehended they are a menace to the law-abiding part of the community,” the Judge said. A general sessions jury found Bernard Davitt, aged 28, a painter and decorator, of St. Kilda. guilty of having been an accessory after the fact to a felony in that he assisted Ryan. They acquitted Davitt on a charge of having been an accessory after the fact to a felony in relation to Walker. Margaret Calleson, aged 27, of St. Kilda, was acquitted on two counts of having been an accessory after the fact to a felony in that she assisted Ryan and Walker. Judge Harris said he was taking into account the fact that Davitt had spent six months in custody awaiting trial.

He said the jury seemed to have acted on evidence that Davitt had gone to the Elizabeth street Post Office to collect a letter for Ryan. "Ibis seemed something pretty important tn Ryan’s mind," he said. “Your conduct definitely enabled him to lip low 99 Ryan and Walker escaped from Pentridge on December 19 and were recaptured. in Sydney on January A *