BOY AND GIRL AFFAIR

NZ Truth, Issue 1173, 24 May 1928, Page 8

BOY AND GIRL AFFAIR

Mother's Discovery

Grave Charge Follows Romance On Gala Day In Gore (From "N.Z. Truth's 1 ' Special Southland Representative.)

A clandestine relationship formed between youth and immature maid during a pilgrimage to the mecca of mirth and merriment, at Gore, needs must be sifted again shortly for the grain of guilt or innocence.

AN Invercargill jury last week, failed to reach an unanimity on the

discretions and found her to tie m a certain condition.

question whether the young man had been guilty of a serious offence against a girl under the age of sixteen. Justice Sim ordered a hew trial for August

The young couple, Jessie Elizabeth Knight and Ernest William Hoffman, son of a well-known sporting family of Gore, "were obligred to suffer the obvious humiliation of ha.ving» tha atory of their secret meetings, their Juvenile house parties and their illicit love, told 'before judge, jury and publio.

Looking every one of her fourteen and a-hal* years, Jessie Knight entered the court m the company of the Child Welfare officer.

The accused, Hoffman, a well-built lad of 20 years, was said still to be on good terms with the girl. To the charge of having committed a serious offence against the girl on divers dates between December 25, 1927, and January 23, 1928, Hoffman, pleaded not guilty, on the grounds that he believed the girl to be sixteen years of age. The evidence disclosed the fact that the girl was employed m a tea-room m Gore of which she had charge, and m the course of her everyday life she came m contact with many people, becomingr acquainted with Hoffman during gala week. .

Subsequently, the girl's mother went

to Dunedin for a

holiday,

leavin g

Jessie in' "the em-

ploy of a Mrs. Summers. However, the thought of ruling supreme over her mother's vacated household, apparently appealed to Jessie, and two weeks after her mother's departure, ehe left Mrs. Summers and went to live by herself at home.

She apparently proved a capable little hostess, for accompanied >by the accused and another couple, Doris Parker and PJiil. Brodie, all of whom were older than herself, Jessie staged a series of ; partiea.

These gatherings, according to the lower court depositions, were thoroughly enjoyable affairs, the merry quartette boxing on till the small hours of the morning. Parker and Brodie, it was said, on one occasion, occupied the kitchen while the others were m the front room, and at the conclusion of still another party, they adjourned at 2 o'clock m the morning, leaving Hoffman and his young sweetheart alone m the house.

Hoffman categorically admitted that improper relations occurred on these occasions, but he did not know the girl was under 16.

In January, however, Hoffman was. told that the girl was under the age of sixteen and, on learning her true age, he discontinued impropriety /with her.

On returning from Dunedin,. the mother learned of her .daughter's m

: An attempted conspiracy between accused and the girl, concerning Hoffman's knowledge of her age was alleged by the Crown Prosecutor who, m his address to the jury, said Bhe waß still friendly -with accused and was obviously actuated by a desire to assist him. »

In the course of her examination fn the Supreme Court, the girl said when she first- mat accused He asked her what her age was end

she told htm sixteen.

The Crown Prosecutor: Ton «ld not say that m the lower court. This is a new story.

Witness: I said m the lower court that ho did not know my correct age.

The Crown Prosecutor: You say noTvthat you told him you wer,e 16 when you first met him? — Yes, and he learned my correct age after my mother came home. I told the police that improper conduct took place after he knew my age, but that was a lie. I said it because I thought I would save myself.

Have you discussed this matter with accused since the lower court proceedings? — No. .

Have you seen him alone at any time since? — No, only m company with my mother or the Welfare Officer. In cross-examina-tion, the girl said she was a complete stranger to accused m August last.

Counsel: Right from when you met him you led him to believe you were 16? — Yes. When mother came home, I told him I was 15 and he said he knew I <was only 14%. He was very angry and told me I should have told him my correct age.

Accused's counsel dealt very feelingly on the ruptured story of a sincere boy and girl love.

There was a difficulty m estimating the age of the modern girl and, under present ideas of dress, it was difficult even for a mature -man to tell, within five years, whether a girl was twelve or twenty.

To-day, at live or at fifty, all WOmen looked the same.

The accused was being made a criminal because he had made an error of a mere eighteen months.

The Crown Prosecutor contended that the accused had never considered the age of the girl.

He was .being obviously assisted by th'e girl who had gone into the box and told lies..

His honor referred very pointedly to the inconsistencies of the evidence m the lower and higher courts concerning accused's efforts to ascertain his sweetheart's age.

Apparently the girt had (been told that she had to swear this evidence to get the 'boy off.

After a four hours' retirement, thejury failed to agree and a new trial was set down for August.