PRISONERS SENTENCED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 251, 17 July 1919, Page 8

PRISONERS SENTENCED

frLONG BKFOBMATIVE DETENTION. In the Supreme Court yesterday morning His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) pasesd sentence on two prisoners. Leonard Russell' .Lewis, who pleaded guiltv in the Magistrate's Court, Wellington to the theft of a motor-cycle, valued at ,£6O, from the Thorndon Railway Station, was not represented by counsel. The bicycle had been consigned from Palmerston North to the postal officials in AYellington, and the prisoner obtained uossession of the machine by registering a false signature in the goods record book. Lewis appealed to His Honour to be L'iveti a chance, and claimed that in spite of a previous bad recorjd lie was doing | his best to reform. ... His Honour decided to give the prisoner a further chance, and sentenced him to eighteen months' reformative treatment. Thaddeus Edward Doody appeared for sentence, having pleaded guilty to four charges of theft from n dwelling. Mr.' P. W. Jackson appeared for tho prisoner, and said the thefts were commuted during a drinking bout. His Honour: "Unfortunately, there are. convictions against him ill Christclmrch in January and in May, while ho was also.to come mi for sentence when called upon on condition that ho lived on his mother's farm, and made restitution. Continuing. His Honour said the best thing would be to place the prisoner undnr tho control of tho Prisons Board by sentencing him to a term of reformative treatment. 'It was quite likely that Iho hoard would place him on probation in about a year's time, but if lie came before the Court again there would bo no nntion but to declare him a habitual criminal. , Doodv was sentenced to fivo yeais roforniniivn treatment.