IN THE COURTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 91, 21 August 1913, Page 3

IN THE COURTS.

[i’KU PIIiSSS ASSOCIATION.] Haimerston N., August 20. Ac the (supreme Court toriiay, V\ ulcer Gordon McDemout, 1/ years m age, \\ as cltarged tvicli caruahy kuo>vuig a girl under id years ox age, and was lound guilty. rio will bo called up lor sentence to-morrow morning. in divorce, barali -U. Uarruthers v. I'iiumas Carnitliers, alleged aduiteiy, a decree nisi, to Oe made absolute’in cnree monciia, was maae, petitioner to nave custody ol the children. Christchurch, August 20. Tne hearing of tne caargo against ,j onii Gnllitns oi assault ou a girl id years of age during tne visit of the Dunedin. children to tne warship ew Zealand, at .Lyttelton, was concluded tins morning. Gninths had ottered to hud a home for ono of the children, and the girl was assigned to him. It was alleged that he interfered with, her on tne way home. The jury returned a verdict of guilty with a recommendation to mercy on the ground of the prisoner’s youth. A sentence ol nine months’ imprisonment was imposed. Arthur 1 nomas Held, on several charges of housebreaking, were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and declared habitual criminals.

The allegations against the police of. ‘‘third degree" methods, made oy counsel in a burglary case at the Supreme Court to-day, gave Justice JJehnistou an opportunity to protest against such ■•dllegatious, ! mort- than hath ox winch has been made of late, [hi' Honor'sAid' that the conduct -or tub 'police ixi these cases has been described ‘‘third degi-ce” methods, both nere and in other places. Now in AuierWii, ‘ Where ‘what was kndwu as tlio “third degree’’ was in “operation, it was a system of authoritative examination, accompanied by direct torture to compel accused persons , to make statements. Nothing had occurred like that in New Zealand, and His Honor thought that if the allegations of “third degree” methods were publicly made iu New Zealand hostile papers and people in England, nob knowing the true facts, would connect the methods out here with those appertaining in America. Ho hoped he had made himself plain in regard to the matter. These Hostile papers would take tho matter up in the same way as they had done before. It was certainly a good maxim for a police ofllcer to keep his mouth shut and his oars open, but that did not prevent Crown officers from taking any statement from an acused person if ho voluntarily made it. Justice Williams had said that if a person voluntarily chose t oconverse with a police officer on a matter, he had a right to do so. In conclusion, His Honor stated that if a prisoner at any time desired to make a statement there was nothing to prevent a police officer taking it, so long as he did not compel the prisoner to speak. Timaru, August 20.

Six charges remaining unheard against Walter Shaw, a bankrupt solicitor, adjourned until to-day, were, by arrangement between the police and the defendant’s solicitors, adjourned for another week. The total amount involved in the six charges is £5372 2s 6d. Dunedin, August 20. At the Police Court to-day, Arthur James Bushel was fined £1 with costs £1 8s on a charge of overdriving two horses. It was stated that the defendant drove his horses from Oamaru. 72 miles, in 10 hours. One horse died twenty minutes after arrival here, and tho owner has been unable to use the other one since. Defendant said that he merely obeyed his employer’s instructions. Proceedings will probably be taken against tho employer.