SIXTY-ONE CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 197, 18 May 1944, Page 3

SIXTY-ONE CHARGES

Seven Years’ Jail For Wharf Labourer “The Court must do its best to see that you are placed under control for a substantial period,” said the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), iu the Supreme Court. Wellington, yesterday, in sentencing Alfred Taylor, wharf labourer, aged 29. on two charges of breaking and entering and theft, involving the use of explosives, to which he had pleaded guilty, to three years’ hard labour, to l>e followed by lour years’ reformative detention. On each ot 59 other charges, he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment at hard labour, the terms to be concurrent with the main sentence. Mr. W. R. Birks, who appeared for the Crown, said the offences covered a period from November 23 to April 16 last. All kinds of property, mainly money, were stolen, and the only- article recovered was a camera. His Honour said prisoner was a young man and it was not his first acquaintance with the criminal law He seemed to have been umfmtrollablb as a child In Australia. and if lie continued his present‘coarse of conduct he would be uncontrollable in New Zealand. Over a period of five months he had been guilty of Cl offences. 40 ot them actual breaking and entering and theft, 20 breaking and entering with intent. and one attempted breaking and entering; and in two of the cases he used explosives. A young num who behaved in that wav was a positive danger to the public. If he had any common sense at nil he would make up his mind during his imprisonment to live a decent lite. If he came before the Court again he would in all probability be declared an habitual criminal. , Explosives were used at the law offices of Mazengarb, Hay, and Macalister. on March 18, and the premises of J. Hott, Ltd., on January 26. and it was on tboso charges that the prisoner was sentenced to three years’ hard labour, followed by four years’ reformative detention. His Honour said lie had purposely sentenced him that way because after lie bad served the hard labour sentence and was Imprisoned for reformative detention everything would rest with the prisoner, whose release would depend on his showing the Prisons Board that he had reformed. Tie was being given ha good, a chance as ho deserved.