A DIABOLICAL ACT

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3949, 30 May 1929, Page 2

A DIABOLICAL ACT

iERPETRATOR SENTENCED TO SEVEN YEARS. SEVERE COMMENTS BY OIITEF JUSTICE. Wellington, Last Night. “You, and people like you, who ..lie disposed to take the law into I heir own bauds must lie taught i hat Chat will not be tolerated in a i ivilised coimmunity. It is essential i.i flic public interest .Ilial a severe sentence should he passed. The . nly doubt I have in my mind is whether, severe although it will he, h is sufficient to meet, the crime. You will he kept in prison with hard labour for seven years. That is the sentence of the Court.” 'The foregoing remarks were made by the Chief Justice (his Hon. M r M. MvCD's)'in I he Supreme Court to-day, to William Henry Osgood, v. ho appeared before him on remand for sentence from Blenheim, haring pleaded guilty to the charge that with intent, to do grievous bodily harm he did actual bodily harm at Blenheim. Mi'. F. E. Ward represented the Crown, and Mir. A. A. APNab (Blenheim) appeared for the .prisoner. Mr. M'Nab said the prisoner was a married man, 54 years of age. He had live children, three boys and ;'wo daughters, the youngest child being a boy of 1(1 years of age. Till the unfortunate matter occurred in which he was now concerned, lie had had an unbletmished record.

In passing .sentence, bis Honour said: Prisoner at the bar. whatever it is possible to say in your 'favour, your counsel has said for you. But I have, to perform a duty, however unpleasant it may be. The outrageous nature of the offence to ■which you have pleaded guilty might 'possibly indicate that at times, at all events, you may not be normal. That may be so, or not. I cannot sav. The law, however, presumes you to he sane, and vour counsel does not suggest that he can make any other assumption in dealing with you. During the time you are in prison no doubt von will 'be. kept under observation and your case will ibo trebled in such a manner while you Hire there as the circumstances may require. You may .have thought—no doubt you did think —that the young man whom you have injured had committed an outrage against your daughter. He has sworn in the Lower Court that be did not. -Whether that be correct or not I cannot sav. But wheI her lie is the person who did that act or not, you had—and you knew von had —recourse to the law. You could have invoked the assistance, of the police and the law, and if the man had been guilty, and the evidence had shown it, he would have been dealt with without Tear or favour. Instead of doing that, von wrote to him actually threatening the law. He came to your place. Wjlien you got him there you punched him on the jaw, rendering him senseless; .took him into a room, and there committed this diabolical act. This voung fellow von have ruined for life. You have maimed and mutilated and ruined his life.” His Honour then imposed the sentence.