Long Criminal List

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 580, 5 February 1929, Page 1

Long Criminal List

TOO MANY SEXUAL CASES

Judge Expresses Regret “I A ‘Vr ry to .;? y that a fairl >- lengthy list of bills of I indictment will be presented to you. The cases are 21 in number and eight, which is a large and lamentable proportion. concern sexual allegations.” There were the openinsentences ot Mr. .Justice Blair’s charge to the grand jurv at the opening of the first criminal sessions of the vear at the Supreme Court this morning. An unusual feature of the opening of the sessions is that for the first tune for some years, there is only one ju<l<re in Auckland. It is likely, however, that the new jud®e Mr Justice Kennedy, will sit here next week.

1 1 IS HONOUR said the bills included, besides the eight mentioned, five of house and shop breaking, four of assault, two of robbery, fortunately a rare thing —one of obtaining credit by fraud, one of sheep-stealing and one of negligent driving causing death. Only one was likely to present any difficulty. It was a bill alleging the obtaining of credit by fraud. The judge pointed out that, as in the case under consideration, a person might fail to pay his debts yet not be held criminally liable. The question in such instances was whether the debtor had prospects of paying at the time the expenditure was incurred. Of the sexual cases, four concerned females and the others boys. None should give much difficulty. Brief mention was made of the Westfield sensation, in which two men held up a motor-car containing jockeys returning from a race meeting in the

early hours of November 27 last. The judge said the accused had admitted the hold-up. In the case of another assault the defence would be one of identity. All five bills on breaking charges were simple. PECULIAR ASSAULTS ‘There are two peculiar cases of assault, one quite unprovoked, and the other aggravated,” said his Honour. "In one instance an elderly man had his face made almost unrecognisable through being attacked with a pair Of spurs. There may be some question of the normality of the assailant.” The second had siimlar features. A youth struck another with a fishing rod. The attacked boy retaliated with a penknife, inflicting a wound in the leg of hii companion. There was also some question of the accused’s mental state. THE GRAND JURY The Grand Jury was empanelled as follows: Gilbert Charles Mayo (foreman), William Bernard Brittain, ; James Moore Carpenter, Malcolm Keith Draflin. William Fellows Grove. J Edward C. Huie, James Johnston, John j Henry Keegan, Clinton Irvine McKean, Augustus Charles Norden. John Paterson, Richard George Rainger. j Robert Arcihbald Rew, Herbert Clin- ; Jen Savage, Rudolph Burn Schischka, Philip Seabrook, George Henry Wilson. Purchase of bricks and timber on a large scale resulted in a charge of fraud against a man who had been brought back from Sydney. His method was to buy wildly and then to at a lower price. Profit was made \ / not paying for his purchases. \ in this way involved sums i thousands, said his Honour. CYCLIST KILLED

A charge of negligently driving a i tnotor-car so as to cause the death of j a cyclist on the Great South Road is i Preterred against a youth of IS,” the j jodge proceeded. "It should be made j ' ear that there is no question of the ! ccused's sobriety. Excessive speed 1 ,[! the wrong side of the road is j alleged.’

final bill concerned allegations ! to H ep st eaHng. a farmer was said ! r _. na ' e removed a large number of I S from a neighbouring estate, i '<A-JT anaser set a watch and ob- . ‘ . one day the very remarkable J -«-ming operation of the accused driv■.Z, 4 s °htary sheep with a dog at its: in to the bush. Investigations j um r l? , a secret compound deep I the trees. It contained 60 or t- nrvilc f ep - They were identified, alated bran(3s had been obliter- | hp ha a the accused said tarm+v.’ ven them from Gisborne —a m °nth s journey.

A LIGHT LIST

Palmerston sessions PROBATION for a thief Press Association Palmerston n.. To-day. *hDrerv l A <lU^ rterly sessions of the domino, i. S ourt were opened this In ni« before Mr. Justice Smith. char & p to the Grand Jury, his commented on the light crim-

> i inal calendar. There were one pris- ; I oner for sentence and one for trial. I Referring to the second case, he said I the accused was being indicted on two . | counts •of breaking, entering and ! theft from certain premises. The part of the evidence that would be most material would be that relating to finger-prints which were well-estab-lished as sufficient evidence of identification and as being infallible. Laurie Davies, who appeared for sentence on a charge of stealing a watch nine years ago, was admitted to probation for one year. The Crown Solicitor said the watch was found in accused's possession when he was arrested on another offence.

PRISONERS SENTENCED

WELLINGTON SESSIONS

Press Association WELLINGTON, To-day. Mt*. Justice Ostler sentenced the following prisoners yesterday: Charles Maxwell Copestake. for as a servant at Wanganui, three years’ probation, and ordered to repay the amdunt stolen, £46; Francis Charles Gomez, for breaking and entering and theft at Gisborne, reformative detention not exceeding fivie years: Robert Cyril South wood, who was jointly charged with Gomez, three years’ reformative detention; Stanley May Robertson, forgery and uttering at Woodville, two years’ reformative detention: Noel John Anthony Major, aged 18, indecent assault on a child, admitted to probation on the score of his youth and the circumstances of the ease; Harry Denton, aged 28, offence against male, one year’s hard labour.

DUNEDIN SITTING

seven cases foe tr^al Press Association DUNEDIN, To-day. The criminal sittings opened to-day with seven cases for trial, six involving dishonesty and one bodily violence. In the latter case a taxi-driver is alleged to have been stabbed in a scuffle by a coloured seaman aboard the steamer Blomfentein. Mr. Justice MacGregor, in referring to the cases of dishonesty, remarked that this class of offence seemed to be very prevalent In the community present. Andrew Trainor. William Neilson and William MacTavish appeared for sentence on charges of breaking and entering. Trainor was sentenced to six months’ gaol, and the other two were admitted to probation for IS months. "William Henry Hoskins, aged 67. received three years’ gaol for indecently assaulting his grand-daughter, u child of tender years.