SUPREME COURT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 788, 11 April 1910, Page 11

SUPREME COURT.

THREE PRISONERS SENTENCED. The Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) had three prisoners before him for sentence in the Supreme Court on Saturday morning.' Mr. M. Myers, Crown Prosecutor, was present. . • PROBATION NO LONGER. Charles Johnston, who had pleaded guilty of theft at Otaki, was repre- .. sented by Mr. H. F. O'Leary. Counsel said that there was a second charge of theft, , the 'alleged offence having been committed at a prior date. ,Tho prisoner had pleaded not gliilty to that charge, but now desired to withdraw the plea, in order that ho might be sentenced for both offences how. His people wore respectable residents of Otago, and the young man, who was only 20 years of age, had nobody to speak for him in the North Island. Hia first offence had been committed at Masterton, and he had then been allowed probation. His Honour remarked on tho prisoner's youth, and recommended that he bo sent to Invercargill, at which prison young men. were kept apart from older criminals. Had it not been for his previous offences, probation might have been granted again, but the sentence now must be six months' imprisonf ment with hard labour. "BEHAVING FOOLISHLY." Another young man, Jesse O'Brien, . aliaß John M'Carthy, was brought up fbr_sentenco on a chargo of theft fro a a dwelling at Wellington. ' Mr-- Myers said that the., prisoner had been sentenced in 1908 to six imprisonment. The Inspector of Police had communicated ' with Christchurch to,- ascertain what the prisoner had been' doing in the meantime, but there had not been,time for a reply to bo received. The Chief Justice said that what took place, when the prisoner was arrested,' and the langnage he ÜBed to the police ancl to a proved him to be ' -a bad lad. Tho six months', hard labour which ho had. served whiio quite a youth apparently had not stopped him • in, his course, and he had qualified himself for gaol again. He would surely see .that he was behaving foolishly, if. he wished to have any pleasure in life.! As lie was still young,, his Honour would deal leniently with him again, sentencing him to six months' imprisonment, with hard labour, in Wellington Gaol. , WOMAN WITH A RECORD. • Anold offender,. Elizabeth Ward, alias Gillies, came up for ' sentence, having pleaded guilty, in the Magistrate's Court at Wellington, to a charge of breaking and entering .and theft. In passing sentence, his Honour referred to the ' prisoner's past history, and quoted iteniß from' her "record. Sho had been convicted 'twelve times ■ previously. for theft, . his Honour re- -• marked, eleven times for drunkenness, and oiico for being a rogue and a vagabond. For two. serious j thefts'she; had received two years' and threo years, .in 1902 and : -1905 respectively,/andj-jii.-tHel i latter year, she had been sentenced to three years for receiving stolen goods. Now, she had to be sentenced for housebreaking by day, and, if she appeared before the Court again, she would get iio liberty at - all for. life, because sho would become an habitual criminal. -i "That ought : to be a lesson to you," his!Hohbiir:add^d. "You have come'to tho verge now." _ The judge remarked that this was the .first'case of, a woman pleading guilty and coming before him '.for , sentence. Luckily, there were few women - committed to prison in New : Zealand ■as .compared with other countries. - "Considering your past history," his Honour concluded, "I do not think that I should' bo doing my duty if I sentenced you to a. less term than three years' imprisonment, with hard lapour."