SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2230, 17 August 1914, Page 9

SUPREME COURT

CRIMINAL SESSIONS PRISONERS FOR SENTENCE. ■ On Saturday the criminal sessions .of the 0 Supreme' Courtwero ' continued before His Honour Mr. Justice' Hosting.' Before any trial was proceeded with'two prisoners'were brought. before His .Honour for- sentence. Mr. P. Si Ivi' Mac'assoy, of the Crown Law Office, represented tlie' Crown ( ■. iFrederick Logan, who was found guilty cdrlier in the week on a charge of,theft ot a watch and chain from the person, put- in a lengthy -written statement for perusal by His Honour. Mr: C;'V.-Goulter, who appeared for Logan, asked that in. spite of the prisoner's numerous previous convictions, His Honour should not declare. Logan a habitual criminal. Prisoner was only 2-J years of age, and was therefore not' too ;old to take heed' of a warning from the Court or to benefit by a further chance. •.. ; ••••'•. ; ',•'. •-" ■.'-- His ' Honour remarked that the . prisoner- had' ho; doubt had-warnings be-' fore, -and it was doubtful if one would do- : any :; "good'at :;: tni's'.'- stage.' 'Sentence would-have rto be passed,; but before deciding on'the'term of imprisonment, His Honour, said he would like to consider the;statement ;hand6d in by' Logan,:and ■tUo -prisonei was accordingly put back until this week. v : ' • ■'.■■'-'■■'.■■. SEEIOUS OFFENCE. Charles Chadwick, ' a musician, 28 years of 'age, who bad recently' been touring with a circus band, was asked'if he had anything to say as to why "Ben; tence of the Court/should not bepassed upon him for an indecent assault of a particularlj serious nature: '' : Mi - . G-. Samuel asked-; his Honour to extend what leniency ho' could to the prisoner 'consistent with the protection the public was entitled'to Teceive' froin the Court. . '. ; " :■'•"'■ '•'. '■' .' His Honour, after eliciting from the prisoner the fact that'he had been in an industrial 6chool for some years, .informed him' that he was liable-'-to be imprisoned'for-, ten years' and to be ! Hogged.' It' ! did] not seem proper that; a person of prisoner's proclivities should be' at' large. He would be Iseritenedd' to t^vo"years:-imprisonment ;with : 'hard labour, and-at the "end of that period'ha would : >be : detained 'for a,- further-two years'.fo'r : reformative treatment. -. -..'-' • EX-POLICEMAN IN TROUBLE. . William Forbes, who'at one tinie'wore .the uniform of the New Zealand Police Force, and .who was more re-. presenta*tive of * the A.M.P. Sdcioty' in Taranaki; vfai'./'.harged with .forgery and false pretence's'at-the recent meeting; of ■'; the Wellington''Racing Cfiib' at ■' Trentham. Mr. P. TT. Jaclcson appeared for the.prisoner, who pleaded not 'guilty. ' ;■ Evidence, called for the-' prosecution showed that on' Tfenth'am ; ; racecourse I Forbes went to the Wellington'-Racing Club's secretary (Mr. A.'E.'-Whytp) with a cheque,' in'order that 'Mr. Wliyte might endorse it; and so enable it to be'oashed at'theitotnlisator house." Mr.' Whyte' re- j quired 'another.'endorsement' first,-''and the' Commissioner of Police (Mr. J. Piillen) endorsed a cheque drawn .by accused for; .£20.-'On. seeing this' Mr, '-'Wliyte added '■' his ' : signature.■"' '. Subsequently Forges altered ■• the cheque 'to.-make'it read ,£l2O, and cashed it for that "amount without 'informing the 'two-'gentlemen; who ■ had 'placed their signatures on-the back.>On-the second day of the-rices he.uttered a. cheque and /received cash';' Tlie cheques ''Were I '-returned marked !"No funds/' "' ""■'■ : -'• '■"•"'■ Giving evidenco'in his defonce. Forbes admitted 'altering, the ■chequej 'but said he : ;wasn6t awaro, that' thorfi,,was,, anything' wrong '■■•in'''doing l 'sb. ''''Ho'claimed to'have seen a way of meeting his liabilities" if he had' been, given tiriie,' although lie knew "there was ho'mohey'in the bank at the time', the' cheques -'wore .drawn. He declined to-answer a : tion' as to whether he had a. few weeks previously,, altered a cheque in' Napier after it had - been endorsed. _ ' '..,"' ■' The jury, after retiring for ten minutes, returned" a' verdict of guilty on all counts', with'a'.very 1 strong recommendation.'to mercy. '• • "•"• '- •His' Honour remanded the prisoner for sentence until to-morrow. mdrni'rig:.'F6rbes.. handed'in 'a written ' statdme'nt, whioh Hisl : Honour promised to consider in the meantime.'," : -