SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 1, 26 September 1918, Page 8

SUPREME COURT

PRISONERS SENTENCED. In the Supreme Court yesterday His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) had before him four prisoners for sentence. A young man named Ernest Henry Mackay appeared in the dock, having pleaded guilty to committing bigamy at Christchurch. Mr ; J. A. Scott appeared for the prisoner, and pleaded for leniency, stating that the prisoner was, at the time ho married the second woman., not aware that he was not divorced from his wife whom he had left a year or two previously. [ His Honour, after referring to Mackay's previous-fairly lengthy convictions, said that he appeared to be quite I reckless so far as women were concerned. "You first deceived one woman I and then deceived another.'' If you choose to go on 'deliberately breaking the laws relating to -the sexes you must bs-punished. You.will be sent for reformative treatment for a period not exceeding two years." Ernest William Groves, who was also convicted of bigamy, was' the next to (appear in the dock. He was notre- . presented by counsel, and asked to bo given a chance, as lie was a member of the Forty-third' Reinforcements. ■ Glancing at the prisoner's record, His Honour said: "\ou seem to have had'five ■chances; how many more do you want? Your case is really worse 'than the other. This offence is getting altogether too common. You will be sentenced to three years' reformative detention." ' A white-haired, elderly man named Frederick James Blandford Bennett, convicted of theft, was the next prisoner to appear. He handed in a lengthy written statement, after perusalof which His Honour said: "Well, all that , appears from this (the statement) is that you,took money bclongiiv; to somebody else to pay debts with. That sort of thing caiaiot go on, and T cannot overlook the fact that you 'nave been convicted five times previously for Ifalse pretences and embezzlement. .1 am going, to send you for reformative treatment for a period r.ot to exceed two years-." The last of the prisoners to appear was a young married man named Phillip Tre'lor Liddy, whose offence was forgery and uttering in connection with the wrongful use of a soldier's railway pass. Mr. H. F, O'Leary, who appeared for tho prisoner, said that the police and the probation officer's reports were favourable. Since March Inst Liddy had been employed by a local firm, and his employer stated that during tho timo he had been with him Liddy occupied a position of trust,, and he wag willing to retain him in his service. His Honour agreed with counsel's suggestion that the case was one for the application of the First Offenders Act, and admitted Liddy to probation for twelve months.