CRIME PUNISHED

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 2

CRIME PUNISHED

PRISONERS SENTENCED SEVEN MEN AND A WOMAN IN THE DOCK ,His Honour tho Chief Justico/(Sir Robert Stout) had before him in tho Supremo Court yesterday afternoon eight pruonerg for sentence. John Brown and Charles Frederick Topp, itho pleaded guilty at Hawera 011 September 12 to tho theft of a horse and gig, which they sold, were tho first to bo placed in' tho dock. Topp, ivho is only 19 years of age, and who hud not been under proper control, was granted two years' probation, and lio was prohibited from entering a hotel or taking liquor,. and to report monthJy to Jhe probation officer. There was 110 previous offence recorded against Topp. Jlis Honour, addressing Brown, said: "You eav you have been in tho Army. You led this young man (Topp) astray. ° It wa9 your- encouragement that led him to join, with you to 6teal the horso and gig.' 1 cannot give you probation, but I will send you to tho Prison Board to deal with." was sentenced to 18 months' reformative treatment.;

A' CHEQUE- FOIiGEK. John Thomas Gorki n, who, while employed by tho Vacuum Cleaning. C 0.,. .cleaning the premises of Dalgety and Co., Ltd., Wellington, appropriated tli6 private cheque bbok of the manager and issued two. cheques, one purporting to be signed by Joseph Lewis and tho other tty Harold Brown; wa3 the next to appear in the- dock. Corkin was''found, to have a long list of previous convictions, forgery being the principal crimo. - Hi!) Honour said lie was sorry to see tho man in court again, and thought that when ho last got out. of prison he would try to keep away fkom the court. Corkin was sentenced to a yeat's imprisonment, and declared .vlvabitual criminal.

' ' FALSE PRETENCES. • " Hui Kai Thompson was' sentenced to two -gears' reformative treatment at Invareorgitl for false pretence's. Thompson pleaded guilty to the charge at Hawera on September 19. There were • several previous convictions against him,. <ind whilst under probation he was convicted of theft.

/ IA WOMAN PRISONER, An elderly woman named Catherine Brett was. the next to be placed in the 'dock. She'pleaded puilty. in the Magistrate's Court, WeSlington, to selling a piano to A. L.- Wilson for ,£32 011 the representation that it was her own property, whereas money was still owing on'it on the. hire purchase system. His Hcliour said thnt prisoner's trouble was that she took, liquor to excess. . She was sentenced to two years' probation,' on condition that, she refrained from taking liquor or visiting any hotel, She was ulso ordered to refund the <£32 within 18 months.! .

1., " INDECENT ASSAULT. ' Frank Robertson, CO years of age, who pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent'assault on children, was .sentenced to four years' reformative treatment on «s each charge, the terms to be concurreut.

THEFT OF A MAIL BAG. "Mr; L. Edwards appeared for Wilfred Fry, wlw.had pleaded guilty to the theft of a mail Tjag on the transport Cordoba, while tho vp3seSi wits about 80 miles from the Heads/and ripping open the hag and throwing tho contents into the sea. Mr. Edwards said tho facts were somewhat peculiar. ■ Thei prisoner had bei»i three years at tho war, and was returning by the transport, on which he was employed.in the Wcehouse.- Whon nearing Wellington, he procured somo, liquor ,and gotdrunk, The mails were on doc-k preparatory to landing. Prisoner went up to tho corporal of the guard and had somo words 'with him, picked up a nutjl bag, took it into a cabin, opened it, and threw the contents into, the 'sea, and the mail bag after them.' The contents comprised books and magazines. He asked that prisoner inight be granted probation:

His Honour: Judges have made it a rule not to give probata in cases of thefts of mail matter. There may have been important matter in that mail bag, and if\ he chooses to go and throw the contents overboard, that cannot lie overlooked. It was almost a breach of trust. Ho cannot bo forgiven for doing a thing like that. One coiiM understand a man stealing nionej; when hard up, but to out open'a mail bag and throw the contents into tho sea—there can be 110 excuse for that. It is an anti-social act.

Mr. Edwnrds pleaded that the man was married, his wife and fomiCy'being in tho King Country. His Honour said he could not help that, and pointed out to the prisoner that-ho -was liable to 14 years'.imprisonment; He, however, decided to deal leniently wihh tho. prisoner. "You have been to the war, and probably drinlc has affected you." Fry was sentenced to two years' reformative treatment.

HOTflt THIEF SENTENCED. .Tames Pnrlcer, a young man, who. pleaded guilty on Wednesday Inst to two : charges, of theft, of. various artiefcs from the'. City "Hotel. Clyde Quay, was the ' last to. enter the dock. The . prisoner had been previously sentenced to two years' reformative treatment on charges of theft, •■and-.hud .been granted probation by the Prisons Board, tho; period not having expired. This year there have' hoen seven charges npiiinst Parker.- His ,Honour'.sentenced the prisoner to three ; years' reformative- treatment, to take effect-'when the previous reformative treatment-period expires.