SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 33, 3 November 1920, Page 3

SUPREME COURT

WOMAN SENT TO PRISON

SENTENCE IN ASSAULT CASK His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman presided over the criminal sessions at : the Supreme Court yeslenlay. Mr. P S. K. lUcasivy appeared for the. Crown. riUSONKKsTENTENCED... Jessio Anderson, guilty of bigamy, who appeared for trial on Monday, was yes--tin-day ordered to come up for sentence • jnen called on. Hi? Honour said he i»ad difficulty in coming to his decision, tmt had considered all points in favour •of tho prisoner. i • Laureuce, Keenan, guilty of assault, was sentenced to eight momihs', imprisonment with hard labour.' Tho assault rook plnco on board the. s.s. Surrey on \ - • October 20, tho prisoner striking another nan with a heavy spanner. . THEFT OF BENZINE • Herhort John Mercer pleaded guilty to. , a charge of breaking, entering, and .theft .at Wellington oh August, 14./ Mercer, who was tj\\itjf a youth, was charged with stealing a motor-cnr, and n tin of bon•zino, the property of the Wellington Motor . aind Accessories > Company. He pleaded 'slot guilty, however, on the count of stealing the motor-car, and Mr. -Mncas- ... sc.v said he wa'9 prepared t6"admit this ',Mr.. W. Perry pleaded for leniency on account of the accused's youth, ho being only 18 years of age. The circumstances of ilhe ease showed the theft to bo tho .."' act of an irresponsible hoy, who had '"merely taken the car to rotono on a "joy ride." Mercer Iliad informed hip .employers, the owner.of the car, that lie had taken it, and had- promised to' .\iolurn it. The probation officer's report* was favourable. His Honour said ho • would not -Admit Mcreer to probation, but ■ would order him to come up for sentonco when called on, warning him that bis behaviour in tho future had- to bo oxeniplnry. j ' FRAUD. Charges of iHieft and obtaining credit ' fraudulently were preferred against Myra Hill, of Wellington. Mr. W. Perry ■ appeared for tbe accused: The specific charges against tho .defendant wero as : follow.—That on August U last 6he stole • a sports cont and a costume, the property of Alice M'Rea, and. thati on August 12 6he wrongfully incurred,a de'bt of .£4-I)}' • fraud. Cqunsol for tbe Crown said thai the accused had been living with a- Mrs. M'Eea, and aftor her departure tho loss of the costume and sports coa'.l was established, and the missing articles were found in the" prisoner's possession Evidence as to the dobtof M was given by Harold Hook, taxi driver, who stated that n, woman had asked him fo go to Petone, as hor mother was dying. Ho . tould not idontify'.the woman, who telephoned to him, but knew, who the man with hor was. On arrival at Hill Street titie woman left the motor, and returned, after about half-an-honr, . On her; retiirn she said/ her mother was dead, and Jion ordered tho car to drive first to Hobson ,' Street, and then to Nowtown. En route to .Nowtown the male occupant of the motor left it at Barrett's Hotel; and the ' filial destination was reached at about ' B a.m. Cross-examined, Hook said he could not identify the accused as being ' «he woman in the car. Evidence was given bv Arthur Peard/who said .thai! lie was with .the prisoner on the night referred to. and was himself "willing to ' walk,back to town" from Petpne until accused offered to pay for the hire'ol the car. The week before she had given him a cheque, signed by herself, for .£l4O, to hold, laifer telling'him it'was worthless, and borrowing; money to tho extent of JS>. Witness, cross-examined, admitted lie had lost his .taxi-driver's license and •had been convicted on a charge of vagrancy. - „.., ,' ', ■ • To Mr. Mncassey:. Witness had known accused for about a month before the'car incident. He did not know whether ■witness', had money .or not; -.--. . . < T ~ Giving evidence, anotner taxi-driver, W. '. ; J ■ Keel, said that accused had been driven ■ by bim out, to Petone, and 'bnck ngain. When asked for the fare, £% accused - eaid sho would give a cheque, but witness would not accept ilbis.. On arrival in Wellington accused went into an hotel, waving she would get-file, money, but he did not see her again for time, when she, .in writing, admitted •having hired l To Mi' Mncassey: Accused had, Sold wit- . ness that her father had a big business in Australia. - . . , ~ Evidence'that accused had not -paw ■board ■•while staying at witness s house ' was given.by .Alice M'liea, who also com- , plained of having missid: several SUIII9 01 •.money during accused's stay at the house. Accused had told witness *at money had been left her from several sources. Summing up, His Honour said the questions to be decided were* whether theaccvsed had swindled the taxi-driver, and . had' stolen the costume. ■ . , ■ - ifter -ii short reTirement the ]ury returned a. verdict of guilty, and the wo'.man was sentenced to six months imprisonment. • SENTENCES AT DUNEDIN . 'B» Teleizratih-Prois Afioctatlon.' • Dunedin, November 2.' The sittings of the Supreme Court opened to-day." There are four chni|geß ' against six persons. William Charles ' Pitche's, Hugh M'AUister, and William White, charged with forging a docum«nt "at Ophir purporting to be the will ol 'George Henry. Keaper, pleaded giu )• - The Judge stated • that Pitches, really ; *is 'responsible for what was done, lie ■ was fined The .other two \tere ordered to come up for sentence if called upon.' Ernest James Taylor, who piead- ' - ed guilty in the- Lower 'Court to a chargd of false pretences, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment dn each of . two charges, the sentences to.fe cumulative, and was also declared an habitual criminal. ■ .