PRISONERS FOR SENTENCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2849, 14 August 1916, Page 9

PRISONERS FOR SENTENCE

AN HABITUAL CRIMINAL

His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman presided.on the Bench at the Supreme Court on Saturday, when three prisoners who had pleaded guilty to certain charges in the Lower Court came up for sentence.

John Edward Kamsay, convicted of breaking and entering at Han-era, pleaded that his lapse was due to indulgence in liquor, which 110 had taken on account of physical weakness.

Mr. V. B-. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, referred to a lengthy list of oonvictions against the prisoner for similar offences, and dating back to 1004. It was also stated that Ramsay had been declared an habitual criminal in 1914.

His Honour, addressing the prisoner, said that there were over twelve convictions against him for actual dishonesty, and it appeared that he had only recently been released from gaol. The Court could not deal lightly with a case of .this kind. The New Zealand system of declaring a man to be an habitual criminal must be made to have some meaning, and it seemed to him that the.prisoner's case was the very kind ; to wnich the system should apply. Ramsay was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour, and declared to be ail habitual criminal. ROBBERY FROM AN HOTEL. Taipua Cootes, convicted of the theft of jewellery and money from the New Zealander Hotel, was represented by Mr. H. P. O'Leary, who made a strong plea for'leniency.. He said'that the question of .asking foi- probation was a difficult one, as, from the Probation Officer's report it appeared'that some six years ago, when Cootes was thirteen .years of age, ho had been convicted of the thoft of some eggs at Otaki. Mr. Meredith (for the Crown), in answer to His Honour, said that on the occasion referred to by Mr. O'Leary a conviction had been recorded, and prisoner had been ordered to come up for sentence when called' upon. The theft at that time involved fourteen dozen eggs. Prisoner had been educated at Tc Aute College, and had gone back to. Otaki. His general behaviour was fairly good, but unfortunately he had some, relations whose influence - might have had an'evil effect on him. Most of the,missing.articles had been recovered, the actual shortage amounting to £i 15s. 1 His Honour said that lie did not know whether it was possible to grant probation. He intimated that ho would, consider the matter, and givn his decision this week. THEFTS OF POSTAL PACKETS. ' A delicate-looking youth named Daniel Alexander M'Donald, aged nineteen, came up for sentence for the theft at New Plymouth of a postal packet, containing money; Mr. A. W. Blair, .in appealing for leniency for tho lad, referred to his delicato state of health and his . highly nervous temperament.' Mr. Meredith (for thfi' Crown) said that since tho prisoner had been at the post office where the offence had been committed, some thirteen or .fourteen letters had gone astray. 'Although denying the charge at first, the prisoner subsequently admitted . having taken;money from about:six letters. . His Honour said that it seemed to him to'be'-a typical case, and he.could not say just at present what he would do in the matter. A serits of dishonest acts had been committed under such circumstances as to bring suspicion on the wholn office. In tlieso sort of cases the Court had almost uniformly refust'd to erant .probation, or its equivalent. He did not see his way to do anything else but impose a term of _ imprisonment. His Honour then intimated that he would have prisoner brought before him again early this week.