Feilding R.M. Court

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 34, 30 August 1888, Page 2

F eilding R.M. Court

Wejmshbsbay 1 , Aitgttbt, "29, 1 j*BB. ■ . V : . ■■ I (Before Dr F. A. Monckton, and Mr . H. L. Sherwill, J.P.s.) , " V, : INDECENT EXPOSURE. . : Constable Meehan charged WiHJanY Lowe and Charles Golding with havi ing; committed this offence on Sunday f the sth instant. . :.-,..■'■ »¥•--,;. ■ Alt! witnesses, were ordered out of Court,, and the spectators were re- ' quested to leave, which, -they, ait once did. ■■-'.:.■■ ; : Mr Staite appeared lor Lowe, but Golding was unassisted by counsel. The charge against Lowe^ -i who"; pleaded not guilty, was first heard, and when it was concluded Constable. Meehan, at the request of the Bench r : made a statement as to the character of Lowe. He said that during his experience of eleven years as a , constable he ' had never met a worse' character. Frequent complaints had ? ' been made to him by the parents of : little girls, who were unwilling to lay ! charges against; Lowe as they did not wish their daughters to be dragged I into Court as evidence against him. Had warned the prisoner on many i occasions. ■ ■ !;; ■:. •" " ■■.■'■ . " : ' ; -- :.^" <c The defandant Charles Golding was then put m the box and he pleaded v i not guilty. . ' : :^i The evidence in both eases was simi- ?? , lar, and entirely unfit for publication.^ In speaking of the character of Golding, Constable Meehan § id he. "'■' was at one time idle and worthless, and his elder brother, who was a hard- : working and respectable man, had , often complained to witness ; in consequence of which he 'had spoken todefendant, who admitted that he was ; idle and lazy and used to follow littlegirls for immoral -purposes, but had discontinued these practices, and gone ■ to work at one of the sawmills. In , this case he was entirely led away by i Lowe, who had got: him into this, scrape. . '.""' The Bench retired to consider their 'decisioni, and adjourned the cxyart ''lfc''- : , a quarter of an hourj. , : •"'.-"-. On resuming, Dr Monckton said , that with reference to Golding, thi» • ' evidence was not corroberative in all respects, and as his antecedents were* , not so gross and brutal as Lowe, who ' had evidently led him astray, he would be discharged ; but as his escape was a very narrow one, the Bench hoped . ; it would be a lesson to him in f uture to avoid bad company. ■',]■ -.-.,',. .. As to the prisoner Lowe, .the Bench would not deal with his ease summarily. If they committed' him to> prison bis punishment would he quite inadequate to the magnitude of his offence. The only Efficient method was personal castigation, and as the- " Bench could not order that they had! ' decided to commit him to take his trial at the next sittings of the Palmerston. District Court, the Judge ot whichi ;•:?■ had the power to order a 'prisoner^ on '%•-:' conviction, to be flogged. ;• v ': m The Court then adjourned. :-' r