Sextette of Criminals

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 201, 14 November 1927, Page 9

Sextette of Criminals

THEFTS “UNPLEASANTLY COMMON”

Supreme Court Sentences

A SEXTETTE of men who were associated in the extensive thefts in the warehouse of Messrs. John Burns and Co., came before Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court to-day for sentence.

T'EXXETH EDWARD JAMES MeQUOID and Frank Leonard O'Donnell pleaded guilty to the actual breaking, entering and theft, and Joseph John James Kyle, Samuel Howard. Harry Packer and Francis Henry Rae, to charges of receiving stolen property.

For McQuoid, Mr. Matthews said he had been sentenced a few weeks ago by Mr. Justice Reed to two years’ imprisonment for a similar offence. Counsel asked that the sentence be not added to, and pointed out that his term in gaol would act as a deterrent to him for the future. “While I know it is futile to ask for probation,” said Mr. G. P. Finlay, on behalf of O'Donnell, “it is apparent that the spirit of adventure carried him away.” Counsel admitted that he had been on probation before, but pointed out that he had behaved excellently. Mr. Snedden, for Kyle, said it was the first occasion the prisoner had broken the law. He stressed the fact that the prisoner had been in ill-health, and that he had a wife and eight children. Counsel asked that probation be allowed the man. “I realise that the nature of the offences impels the court to take a serious view of them,” said Mr. Cahill, in pleading for Howard, “but the prisoner is in a bad state of health, and has borne a good character for many years. I would ask that probation be granted him.” Mr. Finlay, on behalf of Packer, said he was the least guilty of the band. His offence had been a minor one. Prisoner bad succumbed to temptation and he would ask for lenient treatment.

“He received no reward, and only drove the truck,” said Mr. Allan Moody on behalf of Rae. “I would ask that his sentence be not increased, as he is serving 12 months’ reformative detention now.” “I have considered all your cases with care, and one naturally feels disposed to inflict light sentences, but I have the public to consider,” said his Honour. “This class of case is becoming unpleasantly common. In this case, John Burns and Co. seems to have been the happy hunting ground of criminals. The value of the goods stolen was not much, but it was the work of a clever criminal gang. It is J incumbent on me to treat these cases as being of gravity.” McQuoid had been convicted a few days ago, and it would seem that he was mainly responsible for the whole thing. He" would be sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour, to commence at the expiry of his present sentence. O’Donnell was another leading light in the affair and would be sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for 18 months. The case of Kyle was not so serious. He would go to gaol for six months with hard labour. As far as Rae was concerned, he would be sentenced to reformative treatment for two years, to be concurrent with his present sentence. The part Packer played in the affair was unimportant. He would go to gaol for one month. AS BAD AS EACH OTHER THREE MEN DEALT WITH Three young men, William Horace Good, Edward Hewitt and Leslie Dawson, to-day appeared before Mr. Justice Herdman for sentence on charges of breaking, entering and theft. Mr. Fotheringham, who appeared for Dawson and Good, said the goods were taken from a house and carried away on a boat, and later lodged inGood’s house. He pointed out that Good had a wife and live children and a good war record. Dawson was an orphan and was only 21. He asked that probation be extended to them. His Honour said there seemed to be little difference between the three of them. They had all deliberately broken into the house and stolen the property. Dawson had been previously convicted, while Hewitt had a trifling offence to his name. Dawson would be detained for reformative purposes for 12 months, and Good and Hewitt would be sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for 14 days. MAN OF MANY NAMES GAOLED FOR THREE YEARS “You have been known under a variety of names since you arrived ir. New Zealand,” said Mr. Justice Herdman to-day when sentencing Harold Avery Clayton to imprisonment with hard labour for one year, to be followed by reformative detention over a period of two - years. “Shortly after you arrived here in 1921 you received reformative deten-

tion for forgery. Then, in Wellington in 1923 you were convicted, and again at Auckland. You were only liberated last September and here you are at ii again. You are incorrigible and the only thing to do is to let the State take care of you for a long time.” The prisoner had been found guilty of obtaining credit by fraud and false pretences at Hamilton. YOUTH GIVEN CHANCE “MORE FOOL THAN CRIMINAL’’ "A Dalmatian youth, who could speak no English, appeared before Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court to-day for sentence on charges of forgery, attempted false pretence and theft, at Auckland. “I consider this prisoner more of a fool than a criminal,” said his Honour in admitting him to probation for a period of twelve months. “A MEAN THEFT" TWELVE MONTHS’ GAOL "You have pleaded guilty to a mean kind of offence,” said Mr. * Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court this morning in sentencing Albert Edward Carpenter to imprisonment with hard labour for 12 months for breaking, entering and theft. The prisoner was not represented and had nothing to say. His Honour said the man had stolen his mate's money from the latter’s room. He had been previously convicted for forgery.