PAYING THE PENALTY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 30, 28 April 1927, Page 9

PAYING THE PENALTY

PRISONERS SENTENCED A number of prisoners came before Mr. Justice Stringer for sentence this FIVE YEARS’ HARD LABOUR Alfred Hinton faced 15 charges of theft, forgery and false pretences. The accused was not represented. Mr. Paterson, for the Crown, stated that the accused had obtained his ern- j ployer’s cheque-book and had cashed i several cheques involving £209 in one month. His Honour said he was surprised at | the facility with which tradesmen had ; cashed cheques for the prisoner. It was a direct inducement to crime. The man had walked into city shops and had got money as he liked, and only on two occasions had questions been I asked. He would be sentenced to im- j prisonment for five years with hard ! labour. FIVE YEARS’ REFORMATIVE “This youth seems to have made up j his mind to lead a life of crime,” said His Honour, when dealing with Darcey j Puru Hammond, who had pleaded guilty to two charges of theft from a dwelling at Matamata. The prisoner had several convictions for theft and fraud and was only 22 years of age. He would be sentenced to a term of reformative detention for five years. PRISONER DISCHARGED Darcy Lewis Goodman, who had pleaded guilty to a charge of carnal knowledge at Whangarei, was discharged. His Honour said the offence was purely a technical one. NO EXCUSE “I only stole because 1 was out of work,” said George Cecil Horry, who had pleaded guilty to four charges of breaking, entering and theft. His Honour: .You have been convicted several times before, and been on probation, and also served a term of reformative detention. Neither has done you any good. You will go to gaol for three years. ALMOST AN HABITUAL Ten charges of false pretences at Te Puke were against the name of John Warwick St. Ives, who had pleaded guilty. His Honour read a statement handed in by the prisoner and said he could not accept it at its face value. He had been convicted before and had served three years’ reformative detention. His Honour was inclined to declare him an habitual criminaL As it was he would be sentenced to a term of reformative detention for three years.