SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2458, 11 May 1915, Page 9

SUPREME COURT

THE CRIMINAL SESSIONS

A LIGHT CALENDAR

His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) was on tho Bench when the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court were commenced yesterday. Mr. V. 11. Meredith, of the Crown Law Office, represented the Crown. The following were choscn for the Grand Jury: George Wilson (foremaii), lan Duncaii) William Stanley Wheeler, John Findlay, iLeo Stephen Fanning, Arthur Thomas Clarke, . Alfred James Craddock, John William Davys, Benjamin Dawson, Charles Gldart Wilson, Guy Featherston Johnston, Percy George Easson, Thomas Henry Meadows, Robert Arthur Holmes, Richard Walton Short, Harry Edgar Nicholls, and Charles Clabburn.

In addressing tho Grand Jury, His < Honour said he w.as glad to bo able to < tell thorn that the number of cases for 1 trial was not large. Altogether there < were thirteen prisoners, but some of j them would be jointly charged, and the 1 Grand Jury would hare only about eight i or nine indictments to deal with. It 1 might be added that none of the charges ; were serious, except those of the class j which were always serious, namely,, in- ( terference wity children. There were j three case® of this kind, and it was a most extraordinary thing that such j crimes were continually being committed 1 in the community. His Honour then ] referred, more particularly'to the various i cases on the list. ■] True bills were found in the following i eases:—May Wills, theft from a dwelt- j ing; John Johnston, assault causing bodily harm; Thomas Dagnall, indecent ( assault; James Andrews, thert 'of mail ] bag; Henry Morgan Dwyer, indecent as- j sault; Ernest Alfred Welch and James i Gibson Briant, attempted theft; Walter { Balch and Arthur George Young, arson: John D.alton, Alexander Robinson, ] William Tyler, assault and robbery;, \ William Jones, indecent assault. 1 THEFT FROM A DWELLING. J The first trial proceeded with was that ! of a young woman named May Wills, 1 who was charged with theft from a dwelling, it being alleged that' on Janu- ' ary ; 30 she took the sum of- £25 from the 1 residence of a Chinaman at Petone' Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for' the 1 prisoner, who pleaded, not guilty. According to the evidence for the ( 'prosecution, Wills stayed for a night at 1 the shop and dwelling of Charles, Yuan J at PetcnOj after her departure on 1 the" morning, of January 1 30 Charles Yuan missed-the sum of £25,' whish he 1 kept in a safe in his bedroom. Wills 1 was subsequently arrested in Welling- 1 ton by Detective Tricklebank. She at 1 first denied/ but afterwards admitted, J that she had been at Petone on Janu- . ary 30. Though the money was not • found in her possession, there was evi- ' deince that she had handled a considerable sum (about £13)jimuiediatoly after ; the theft. , No evidenoo was called for the de- • fence, Mr. O'Leary contenting himself ; with addressing- the jury, v ■ After being absent from Court |ar two 1 hours, the jury returned a verdiot of j guilty, the prisoner to mercy on account of her youth and the < nature-of the temptation. His Honour- intimated .that he would endeavour to give effect to the recommendation. It would.be better if the prisoner could be serit to some home rather than to gaol. She would be remanded for sentence for a couple of days.,, ; .. . , .. . | SOLDIER ASSAULTED. . A plea of. not guilty-was entered by John Johnston, who was charged witn assaulting Eric Totilson on January 18 so as to oause him bodily harm. There was an alternative count of common assault. Mr. P. W. Jackson appeared for the defence. . Eric,Toulson is a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at present in camp at Trentham. On January, 18 Toulson was in Manners Street in company with one Sergeant-Major Evans, who, it was alleged, had since been dismissed tho force. Toulson went into the New Zealandor Hotel to procure a bottle of beer, and on coming out of the hotel found-Evans engaged in an altercation with Johnston and another man. Toulson, according to the evidence for the prosecution, was endeavouring to take Evans, away when Johnston struck him on the face and fractured both his jaw bones. . , Giving evidence on his own behalf, Johnston admitted striking Toulson, but stated that he acted in self-defence. Under cross-examination by Mr. Meredith,' he acknowledged a conviction for assaulting the police in the Traasvaal, and also convifctions for assault and obscene language in the Dominion. The jury retired at 3.43 p.m., and returned in about twenty minutes with a verdict of guilty. The prisoner was romauded for sentence. CHRISTOHURCH SESSIONS. (Br Telegraph—Press Association.) Clirlstohuroh, May 10. The criminal sessions opened to-day. There were eight charges against eight men. Mr. Justice Denniston, in Tiis charge, remarked that the calendar was light, and few of the cases were of a really serious character. Cecil Furrow, aged twenty-six,' appeared for sentence for embezzling £693, belonging to the Lyttelton Borough Council, for which he was cashier. He stated the money was spent in card playing and horse racing. Counsel said Furrow had enlisted in the artillery to go to the war, when he was arrested, and the authorities were prepared to take him if restitution was made. His Honour postponed sentence, to enable him to consider the special circmnstanccs, which might warrant his giving the man a chance to serve his country. Ho will pass sentence in a fortnight. Edward Robert Wilson, aged 17, was admitted to probation for a year for two thefts from' the Springfield Post Office, where he was relieving. Hector M'Lean, for breaking and entering and theft, , was sentenced , to five years' imprisonment with hard labour. The prisoner recently came from Australia. Upon him was found a certificate of probation from Pentridge Gaol. His Victorian record showed nine convictions. He' was released in Melbourne in March and arrived in Wellington on April- 2, 1915; he came to Christchurch on April 24, and committed the offence on the following day. Emanuel Kirdy, a foreigner, came up : for sentence on a charge of incest. His Honour said that he had no sympathy for tho prisoner, as he had habitually i committed incest with a fifteen-year-old Child. He would be sentenced to ■ ten years' imprisonment. DUNEDIN SESSION. Dunsdin, May 10. At the Supreme Court Jamos and Cornelius Flynn were convicted of stealing a heifer at Oamaru, and each was Fined £25. Tho criminal sossions have ended.