SUPREME COURT.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1921, Page 4

SUPREME COURT.

PRISONERS SENTENCED

CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 19

James Watson came up for sentence I on a charge of theft from the peison ' and attempted theft from a person. Mr , Alpers, who had appeared for prisoner ' at his trial, said that prisoner had arranged to make his own appeal. Prisoner said that he had qualified for conviction as an habitual criminal but he hoped that his Honor would not Jddclaro him such. He reviewed the j circumstances of his convictions. He j had not been convicted during 1915, he said “You seem to have done very well durimr your short stay of three weeks in New Zealand,” said his Honor. “You are a clever criminal. Much of your time has been spent in gaol. It is exceedingly fortunate that the police caught you at Addington For the last twenty years you have been in and out of gaol. You will go to gaol for two years’ hard labour on each charge the sentences to (run concurrently.” William James Edgar, John William Cleary, Frederick George Chick and Edwin Martin Hand were charged with breaking, entering and theft. The charges related to the theft of hams and heron to the value of £l2O, belonging to T. IT. Green and Co., Ltd., Cleary was further charged with hav- ■ i„g 'received chains and swingletrees s and horse covers knowing them to have

been stolen. t Edgar was sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard laboui and Hand to six months. Cleary and Chick were sentenced to two years’ refoi motive detention. UNDER A BED.

John Quigley was charged with having been unlawfully by night on February 14 in the dwellinghouse of Thomas Tansev with intent to commit a crime. Quigley is the man who was found by a young woman under her bed. “I had been drinking heavily for a week before this happened,” said prisoner. “T don’t remember going to that room or anything about it. The first thing T remember was being in the passage. T would not have been here if 1 had not had to wait for my luggage to come by the. Maori. T was going south to work.” “It is nil very well to say that you committed this crime under the influence of liquor,” said His Honor, “but your previous record is not satisfactory. When you committed this offence you were posing ns a purser. Aon 'acre found in a building where you had no right to he, and obviously with the intention of committing a crime. You have confessed to that and having stolen a camera. You will be sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment with hard labour.”