SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 11, 16 June 1894, Page 9

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

The June sittings of the Supreme Court were opened here on Tuesday before His Honour Judge Henniston. Henry Sadlier, aged 66 years, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted suicide, and was set free after being bound over to come'up f®r sentence when called upon. —John Proven, aged 19, admitted having forged and uttered a cheque for £6 odd, and was admitted to probation, it being his first offence. —W. A. Howison, who had several previous convictions against him, admitted a charge of embezzling the funds of the Sinclair Tailoring Company while in their service and recieved a sentence of eighteen months’ imprisonment.— James McKechnie pleaded not guilty to a charge of having committed perjury during the hearing of a case at Core. The defence was that the alleged perjury was the result of a mistake. After bearing the evidence, the jury, after 40 minutes’ consideration returned a verdict of not guilty. —A 3'oung man named William John Atkinson pleaded not guilty to a charge of having attempted to obtain two sums of L SO each from two insurance companies. The Crown Prosecutor, in opening the case, described the conduct of the accused as a consummately audacious attempt at fraud, the house on which the insurance was effected being nonexistent at the time, and not built for some months after. After the fire various suspicious circumstances came to light.—When the Court resumed after the mid-day adjournment the accused withdrew his plea, admitted the charge, and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.— M. T. Neylon pleaded not guilty to a charge of having assaulted his stepdaughter.— The latter, a modest-looking girl of 13 or 14, declined to remember anything of the occurrence, and, after the adjournment for an hour, the jury, owing to the continued refusal of the witness to answer, were directed to return a verdict of not guilty, which they did. The Crown Prosecutor remarked that the girl had evidently been “ got at,” and His Honour said that the incident showed that provision should be made whereby a child in such cases could be kept by persons not related to her pending a trial. It was mentioned incidentally that the evidence given by the girl in the lower court could not be made to do similar duty in the Supreme Court. There was a second indictment against the accused, and action regarding this was adjourned to Monday at the request of the Crown Prosecutor. The last case on the criminal calender was that of Earquhar McKenzie, who denied a charge of having criminally libelled Joseph Sherlock.—After evidence had been taken the accused was fined £25 and costs.

The Court is now engaged in dealing with civil business.