SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2378, 6 February 1915, Page 9

SUPREME COURT

ELEVEN PRISONERS SENTENCED SERIOUS CEIME FIVE YEARS WITH HARD LABOUR Eleven prisoners, convicted of various offences, were sentenced by His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman in the Supreme Court yesterday morning. Air. H. H. Ostler, of the Crown Law- Office, represented tho Crown, Arthur Leonard Aassel, 24 years of age, was lirst placed in the dock lor sentence. On Monday last he had been tried before a jury and found guilty of a serious assault with intent. He had been previously before the Court in Auckland on a charge of attempted suicide, but the evidence was not clear as to whether he had been convicted or not. Mr. P. W. Jackson, who appeared for the prisoner, stated that accused had previously borne a'good character, and evidence was called in- support of that. His Honour imposed a sentence of five years' imprisonment with hard labour. •AN ASSISTED IMMIGRANT. A youth, named Albert Edward Greenwood, who had pleaded guilty at Hastings to a chargo of indecent assault, and ito a further cnarge of attempting to carnally know a girl under the age of twelve years, was stated to have worked constantly ou a farm since he came from England as an assis-ted immigrant some ten months ago. Mr. P. W. Jackson- pleaded for leniency for tho prisoner. Mr. Ostler informed tho Court that nothing previously was known against the youth. I'rom the circumstances of the case it appeared that ho was not utterly depraved. A sentence of three years' imprisonment—one year of hard labour and two years' detention for reformative purposes —was imposed, His Honour remarking that the supreme duty of Judges of that Court was to protect young children of both sexes from assaults by older persons. His Honour asked the Gaoler to note that the present case was on<j which should, if possible, be dealt with at Invercargill,

A SERB IN TROUBLE. A; native of- Seryia, George Slavich, 21 years of age, came to Auckland in December, 1912, and soon after went to Hamilton, where he appeared to have worked for a road contractor continuously until December last. He then came to Wellington, and entered upon a career of crime by raiding various meat safes in Thorndon. On December 22 he pleaded guilty to seven crimes in the Magistrate's Court, the most serious being four charges of breaking, entering, and theft. When brought up for sentence yesterday he was not represented by counsel, and had nothing to say on his own behalf. His Honour remarked that on account of his youth and the fact that he had not previously been convicted, prisoner would not be declared an habitual criminal, although he had rendered himself liable to be so declared. 'He would be sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour on everyone of the charges, but the sentences would run concurrently.

FEMALE HOUSEBREAKER. An elderly woman, named Mary Jane Caple, convicted of housebreaking at Bulls, was not represented by counsel but 6ha made an application to the Court that, in. the event of her having to undergo a sentence of imprisonment, she should bo sentenced to reformative treatment and not committed to a home. The ground of the application was that the prisoner had a sou, 12 years of age, and, as there was no one to look after him, she was ai-iioiis by good conduct to earn some remission of her sentence. Such remission, she understood, could not ho earned in a home. Mr. Ostler reported that the prisoner's position was due to drink. The only previous convictions against her were recorded in the Magistrate's Court His Honour considered that tie best method of dealing with the prisoner would be '-to sentence her to detention for a period of one year for reformative treatment. ADMITTED TO PROBATION. .Forgery and uttering at Feilding caused William Samuel Beehre to appear in the dock for sentence. He had pleaded guilty to the offence before two Justices of the Peace on January 26, the amount of money obtained by the forgery being ill Ids. Mr. V. R. Meredith appeared for the prisoner, whose case (ho suggested) was one where lenieat treatment might be extended with good result. The prisoner's parents resided at Whangarei, and,, while he was in Feilding, he had reoeived a request from his mother for assistance. Ho was in distress at the time, and not having any money, he forged a cheque and went straight to Whangarei with the money, and gave it to his mother. In the event of mercy being shown him, tie prisoner seemed to be sincere in his intention of showing by his conduct that he was grateful and determined to live honestly for the future. His Honour decided to yield to the plea of counsel, and admit Beehre to probation. The term would be for eighteen months, during which time he would have to reside in his motheir's house. In addition he would have to refund tho amount of money dishonestly obtained by means of the cheque, and would also have to pay £3 towards the costs of tho prosecution, the payments to be made at the rale of 12s. per month. His Honour finally expressed the hope that Beehre would in future live a good life, and have a prosperous career. "AN EXEMPLARY CHARACTER." Alfred John Burrows, a single mail, <5 years of age, described as a donkeyman, had to answer for two charges of theft from dwellings and for another charge of being found in a dwelling-house by night without lawful excuse. The thefts were committed in December, jewellery being taken from the residence of Dr. Mackenzie, and also from the residence of Miss Leece. Tho other charge, thai; of being found by night on premises, related to the residence of Dr. Stout. Prisoner's arrest had been effected on the steamer Buteshire, at Dunedin, the crimes having been committed while the steamer was in port at Wellington. Mr. P. W. Jackson, who appeared for tho prisoner, stated that "the prisoner's discharges were ill ifcrv irood, and he appeared to have previously borne an exemplary character. Counsel tuggested that at the time of the offences prisoner was suffering from an extraordinary lapse due to' the coincident facts that he had receinved a severe blow on the head, and was suffering from the effects of' drink. The property had, it was true, been found received a severe blow on the head, and no recollection of how he came by it. His Honour expressed himself rather inclined to tho opinion that the prisoner knew a good deal about getting into othoi people's houses, and that it was owing to his being under the influence of drink in Wellington that he lost hi* '•autiou. However, His Honour only hid to deal with these offences, and the prisoner would he sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour. A BAILIFF'S THEFTS. Frederick Maurice Marlow, a married man with one child, was sentenced to four months' imprisonment with hard labour on two charges of theft. Prisoner had been appointed bailiff of the Magistrate's Court at Stratford in 1910. and until the present offences were discovered he had borne a good character. J. ho amunt of money involved in the 'iffonces was £51, but Ihe total defalcations were stated by the Crown Solicitor to amount to .£72. :

BACK AGAIN.

Having bpen declared an habitual criminal some years a<?o, and released on probation by the Prisons Board in June, 1912, an old man, named Charles Geddes, subsequently s>erved a sentence of sis months' imprisonment in. the South Is- . Jand, SbnrtJi' after his release on this

latter occasion ho pleaded guilty to a charge of false pretences at Blenheim, and again appeared in tho dock at Wellington yesterday for sontcnce. There were fourteen convictions against him for dishonesty sinco the year 18S0. His Honour imposed a sentenco of threo years' imprisonment with hard latour, and again declared Geddes an habitual criminal. YOUNG HABITUAL CRIMINAL. James Percy "Williamson, 26 years t of B£e> was also declared an habitual criminal, and ordered to serve a sentence of six months' imprisonment with hajd. labour lor obtaining credit by fraud, lhore vero lour previous convictions against Williamson, and at the time of the ofienc« to which he was yesterday before tho Court ho was actually serving a term of probation. While a member of tine Expeditionary Force he had induced a taxi-cab driver to convey him to Waitara on credit, by means of tho fraudulent representation that ho was anxious to 6ee his father, who was dying, and that the ride would bo paid for in due course. BREAKING AND ENTERING. On account of the fact that liieii> were three previous convictions against Oscar tjtangebye, and that he yesterday ha 4 to answer lor four further charges of breaking and entering, and attempted breaking and entering, it was open to His Honour to declare tne prisoner an habitual criminal. This course was not deemed n«*>ssary by His Honour, who considered that tho ends of justice would be met it Stanfccbye vcre sentenced to ono years imprisonment with hard labour and detained for a further period of three years for reformative treatment.- ctangebye's offences consisted of breaking: into several shops in Wellington and stealing goods thorefrom. A VARIED CAREER. Charloa Hector Dudley, who stood in the dock to.be sentenced for nine charges of forgery and uttering, was stated to have had a varied career. According to the statement of the Crown Solicitor, lie was 33 years of age, a native of New Zealand, and the son of respectable parents. Originally employed as a bank clerk, he forsook that occupation to take up farming, but subsequently gave up that form of employment also. He commenced drinking heavily in Westport, and before long a series of convictions had been recorded against him. Last month ne vn> timised a number of Wellington business people by means of forged cheques, the total amount of money involved in tne crimes being £22 Is. 7d, .. . , His Honour was of opinion that in toe interests of the prisoner himself, the best thing to do would be to place him where he could not obtain strong dnnlc for a lengthy period. He would be sentenced to six months' imprisonment witn hard labour, and afterwards detained lor three years for reformative treatment.