NO CESSATION IN CRIME

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2922, 7 November 1916, Page 6

NO CESSATION IN CRIME

JUDGE ON WAR-TIME OFFENCES

A VARIED LIST

The criminal session of tho Supremo Court opened yesterday, and in his charge to tho Grand Jury the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) said that the list of cases showed that thero was no cessation in crime, notwithstanding the war times in which wo live. There were, however, no very serious crimes; they wero mostly thefts and robbcrios. Somo of the offences were due to the immoderate habits of those who committed them, and some could not bo said to bo connected with drink.

His Honour ran briefly tnrough tho list. First, ho said, came an indictment against four prisoners who had, it was alleged, conspired to break out' of gaol, and in trying to carry tho plan into execution griovously assaulted ono of the warders. Fortunately, in the interests of\justice, the warder was able to gTvo aTarm, and an escape was just prevented. His Honour did not know if there was any defence; certainly nono was indicated by tho depositions. All were* men who wero serving heavy sentences, and their names were Geo.Crowthcr, John Daintry Campbell Birch, Hector M'Lean, and Charles Hazelden.

Then thero was a man against whom were no fewor than six charges of house-breaking. It appeared that this habit or house-breaking had been exceedingly rifo in Wellington, so much so that a police officer said that £2500 worth of jewellery was stolen in a few months. That was an exceedingly bad record. It might be that the man to appear before tho Court was not to blamo for all. Somo of tho stolen goods, it was alleged, were found on tho accused, and other things wero found in his bedroom. There were as witnesses against him two men, one ot whom knew him as a boy, and whom the accused asked to purchase somo of the diamonds. Then there wero sevoral sales of old gold. Some of the articles had not been destroyed or altered, and in other cases stones had been taken out of tho articles and sold 'to a working jeweller. _ The jeweller inquired how so many jewels came to be tendered to him, and the answer given him was that men were going to the war, and their wives were selling their jewellery to get money. Subsequently, the jeweller became suspicious, and made very proper inquiries into matters connected with tho transactions. Evidence would bo called, but one of tho main witnesses was so ill that he would be unable to attend.

There followed this on the list tho case of a man charged with indecent' assault on two women. It was not a grievous assault, but still it was a serious matter, as the accused was a taxi-driver.

One accused was charged with shooting another man.' Our law was that no man was allowed to use a weapon unless it was absolutely necessary for hfs-self-protection. Another was charged witli having stolen t, soldier's pay, and running away and hiding from the,police. Theft on the waterfront _ was the next charge. A man coming off the wharf was asked .what he had in his coat, the coat was examined, and stolen goods were found in it. _ Then the accused said it was not his coat, but afterwards ho claimed tho coat.

A charge of bigamy was mado againsi a woman.

A man was charged, on three different charges, of going up to women on the slopes of Mount Victoria in daylight, and tearing their bags from them. The defence was an alibi; the man said he was never on Mount Victoria. The offenco was of a class which was becoming rather common in parts of tho City.

From Stratford there was a .case in which several charges of breaking and entering and theft were mado against a man. It would be alleged that somo of the goods were found in his house and some in his yard.

Five £5 notes were concerned in a charge of theft against a man, wl»ose defence was that ho picked up the money in the street. If when asked about tlip monev he hud said and nroved that he picked it up. the case _ would not be one of larceny, but here it would be alleged that ho lied bv first saying he got the money from England. Next came n charge of robbery. Two men were said to have observed another in a half-drunken conditio*!!, to have waited/or him and robbed him.

A case of alleged assault by a soldier on a girl bore unusual features. The girl was over 16 years, and if she consented to wliat took place there was no crime. It was a very slight assault. The girl was what might, be. termed "sillv." -.For instance, she had been unable to ooss the first standard at school. If tlio soldier knew she was silly there could be an offence, because it could not be said that she. consented. • Several charges of theft followed.

A man who had been with the troops at Samoa was said to have pretended ho had served longer than he really Imd, and to this end to have filtered dates in his naners. "If he didn't forge it, who did?" An Upper Hutt. case hod to do with His throwing of a. stone which might have killed the man it hit. The man hit Wiis the' ranker, and he swore that one /Richard White threw the stone. The first things the jurv would need to remember were that the place ig an unfrequented road, and tlio night was dark. The Grand Jurv returned inie bills in all the cases, but the shooting caso referred to by His Honour. .