SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 98, 20 January 1943, Page 5

SUPREME COURT

Prisoners Sentenced

Four prisoners appeared before the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) in the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday, for sentence. Mr. W. R. Birks appeared for the Crown. Frederick George Lester,_ aged 3b, a fireman, was sentenced to 15 months reformative detention on a charge of breaking, entering and theft at Nelson. His Honour said that accused had. asked for probation, but this was out of the quesion with his list, and he had previously been granted probation in 1921 and 1930. However, said his Honour, he would give prisoner some opportunity and give him a comparatively lenient sentence of reformative detention. Though prisoner had a fairlv substantial list, it. was in his favour that since 1930 there did not appear to have been any major offence involving dishonesty. Ronald Gordon MaeAUister, aged 4’-. a cook and draper, was sentenced to 12 mouths’ reformative detention on a charge of breaking, entering and theft, at Blenheim. Prisoner said he had acted on impulse, but had made a full statement to the police, and all the articles had been recovered. In imposing sentence, his Honour said the Court always had to take into account the inherent gravity of a particular offence. William Arthur Nathan, a soldier, aged 21. who said he had nothing to say. was sentenced to three years’ reformative detention on a charge of assault with intent to commit rape. His Honour said it: was a bad case which could not lightly be passed over. A youth of 19i years was sentenced to two years’ Borstal detention on a charge of indecent assault. His Honour said that though he did not do so in ordinary practice, lie would order publication o. prisoner's name to be suppressed, because of the special circumstances of the ease.