SUPREME COURT
. 9 . CRIMINAL SESSION INCREASE IN SEXUAL CASES The criminal session of the Supreme Court waa opened yesterday inorniUK by His Houour the Chief Justice (air Robert Stout). The grand jury comprised the following :—Jltssrs. James iiarciihanks (ioreman), Alva ildison Shaw, Artnur Dixon, W'ihred Cecil liellow, Jamea David iuartin M'liityro, George Kijss, William Henry Ross, Ernest Edward StonciwmlM. I'ercV Blunilell, Alfred Wallace, Arthur Coburt- ' son Persian, Harold Victor Caverhill, Albert /Creagli U'Cwinor, -Robert A'ewton f.vanstiv!. Ajthur 'Newboid, Robert Hugh Nichol, Edward Bolton Briotow, 'r:!i/u;as Cox, Charier iiauiiivon Hawain, William Henry I'uiton.^ In his address to the srand jury His Honour tiiere a &L r in'.'i.-ease in the number of eases as compared with previous criminal sessions. There were twenty eases oi -rime, including one case of attempt to murder and another of tiircaceiujiK to kni. Oi tiie twenty casen were sexual, There were snvoral cases of theft, which was common amongst us. With regard to the case ot threatening to till, tiic charge was against a man employed by a firm in the city. Hb sent letters to another employee of the firm threatening to kill him if money was not paid. These letters v.ew said to have been in the handwriting oi the accused. There were other circumstances beyond the handwriting. "he. letters wero. writen on the nolepaper of the firm; a second point was that one of the letters was left on the bench, and that could only have been done by some I body on the premises, and the third point was that chocolates were sent, and these chocolates were found to contain nitric acid, and nitric acid was found m the accused's possession, which he did no deny. There was other evidpnee winch pointed to the identity of the accused, and this was that when he was fased with the offence he wanted' to know it they had all t.lie letters. In the case "f attempted murder, a man a-tacked his wife with a razor. His Honour then referred to the sexual cases. Another case was that.of assault by a man named Jenew, who w-as said to have assaulted a man, causing him actual bodily harm. Two men employed in the Defence D« partment as night watchmen, were charged" with having stolen a large quantity or goods. His Honour referred briefly to the other cases on the list, and referred particularly to a case of obscene language, which he said should have be*" dealt with by the Lower Court but which, according to our law, might be heard 1 in the Supreme Court at the option of the nocused. , The grand jury returned true Mild against Michael Falvey, obsceno language; William Bannerman .9a?er«, indecent assault; William cnrnal knowledge: Lawrence John Alalonev, breaking, entering, and theft; antt ngawst oil the others except Charlo* Decbles, charged with indecent assault, against whom no bill was'returned Mr P 9. K. Macassev. of the Crown Law Office, represented the Crown throughout tho sitting. Michael Palvev. charged with using obscene language, was the first to'appear in the dock, and was not represented bs counsel. Mr. L. Nelson was foreman of * The cfarge against tho accused ™>tijftt he used obscene language m Post Olhcs. Square within the hearing of the> public. The two constables who heard tho loui language gave evidence. The accused neither gave evidence nor addressed the jury. His Honour, in summing up, said the man was foolish m not Magisrate deal with the case. Tho jury, after a short retirement,' brought in a verdict of guilty, with a recommcudat on that wherevor possible in *rf» kind the police should obtain independent evidence His Honour said there could bot suggestion that Fojrey had-ton persecuted by the police or tho CouJhg As a matter of faot, .the Magistrate had dlalt leniently with Falyey on a prev.ous occasion on condition that he wimt to. work It was while he po ce were, in" Palvcy of the necessity, of ennj-i .e out the Magistrate's instructions hat Hie man used the obscene languaso. His Honour S ren,arked that the prisoner■« mentally weak, and instead of being miSnecfho would bo ordered to underso twelve months' reformative treatment, if possible at Invercargi 1 A young man named William Hcmv Asninall for whom Mr B. Kennedy ap{S Pleaded not guilty to our charges of indecent «.«inlfc-on t girl under the age of 16. The Court was cleared during the hearing of tho case. Mr. S. G. Lovell was the foreman of the jury ~ ~ ~ The case occupied a consuVrablo tune. After a retirement of alwut ten minutes the jury returned with a verdict of guilty or tWiourtk count, and not guilty on the other three counts. The prisoner was remanded to Saturday for sentence.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 195, 13 May 1919, Page 3
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786SUPREME COURT Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 195, 13 May 1919, Page 3
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