COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 22 February 1927, Page 5

COURT NEWS

Life Sentence. O2\ MUItDERui s MOTORIST. LOMIOX, Feb. 20. There was a < . 110 .„ Nottingham Asaizes . ;ar Smith twas found, gui murder of Police Constat; Dainty, who overtook Smith ■•_ ;i nJ was shot by him. The Judge said : “You shot this unfortunate man thier turn-. w |i. n lie was doing his duty. 'u,. . ( . n j v one penalty I can inflict, m.i . | v . : i.j servitude for life.” Smith, reeled in the dock, ul.. ih< was a gasp in Court. Pres< ntl Smith recovered and said, “Cannot you h:. • mercy, if only lor my wile. This is a terrible sentence.” “It is a terrible sentence,” remark ed the Judge, “but you have done a terrible thing, and it is only by th mercy of God you are not charged with murder. ” Then the Judge recalled Constable Dainty, and said: “No one could have blamed yon, if, seeing he was armed and having one bullet in your body, you ceased to try to arrest him, but nevertheless you took two more shots nnto your body before you ceased to do your Minty. This is a record ot which 1 any man might be proud.” TIPSY YOUNG MFX. ASSAUT ON POLICE. WELLINGTON. Feb. 2. Mr Salmon, S.M.. to-day fined two brothers,. Harold William Row?, 24. and Lance Arthur Rowe, 22, £5 each for assaulting and resisting two constables in default a month’s imprisonment. On other charges of obstruct ing and wilfully damaging clothing, they Were convicted and discharg The police evidence was that accused were both very drunk on Cambridge Terrace. Two constables in plain clothes twice warned them to go home quietly. They refused. When one cofistablp tried to arrest Lance, he kicked and struggled to get away. llis brother rushed to his assistance. . A crowd gathered and hindered the police and one womart would probably make an appearance before the Court. Mr Salmon said that if it had not been for the previous clean record, the fact that the constables were in plain clothes, and the aecuseds * age, he would not have hesitated in imposing a term of imprisonment. He trusted that anyone in the crowd that obstructed the police would appear before him. He could not understand the wrong headed attitude of the public in these DIRTY ICE CREAM FACTORY. WANGANUI, February 21. Wilford D. Dixon was fined £l5 this morning for having his premises where ice cream was manufactured at Castlecliff in a filthy condition. He wrote a letter to the City Inspector stating that he could not face another prosecution, and that he had assigned his estate and left for Australia. SENTENCES PASSED INVERCARGILL. Februry 21. At the Supreme Court, the following prisoners were sentenced: —Patrick Finn, for assault and robbery, two years reformative detention.; Leonard Norman Crawford, for forgery, throe years reformative detention; Raymond Roy Whitting, for breaking, entering an 1 theft (two charges) three years’ refortnative one each charge, the terms to he concurrent; Lesli? Grey tor breaking entering and theft, fwo years probation; Ernest John Didham, lor breaking, entering and theft, three years’ pro ballon; Patrick Joseph Clemengcr. for breaking, entering and theft (two charg es) two years reformative sentences s*on current.