MERCY RECOMMENDED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 807, 30 October 1929, Page 11

MERCY RECOMMENDED

ATTEMPTED INTERFERENCE WITH WITNESS PROVED CAUGHT BY SPELLING An incriminating letter, written to the husband of a woman, on whom an illegal operation had been performed, suggesting that the wife should not identify, at the trial, a woman charged with the illegal use of an instrument, formed the principal evidence against William Bobbett. at his trial in the Supreme Court yesterday. Mr. Justice Herdman heard the case. THE charge against Bobbett. a labourer, accused him of attempt- ; ing to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice in connection with ' the prosecution of Jessie Morris on a charge of illegally using an instru- \ ment. “It is vital to the administration of i justice, upon which our social system is founded, that all available evidence should be presented to the courts,” remarked the Crown Prosecutor. Mr. V. R. Meredith. Counsel emphasised that there should be no attempts at interference with evidence that would throw any light on charges brought in any court. The addressee of the letter, signed “Bill of Kaeo, long ago,” which was received on August 5, stated that he subsequently handed the document to •the police. His wife, who was in hospital at the time, subsequently gave evidence for the Crown in the prosecution of Jessie Morris. He had known Bobbett in Kaeo 15 years ago, but did not recognise the handwriting. When Bobbett was interviewed, according -to Detective - Sergeant Doyle, he admitted acquaintanceship with the man who received the letter, but declared he had no interest in that family’s affair. MISTAKES IN SPELLING At the detective’s suggestion, Bobbett wrote down certain words and phrases dictated by the police officer from the letter, accused making identical mistakes in spelling as in the letter. Accused then made a statement admitting writing the letter, but asserted that he was not induced to do so by Morris, in whom he had no interest. It did not matter to him whether she received seven years or more, Bobbett stated. For the defence, Mr. Dickson contended that Bobbett had written a stupid letter at the instigation of his wife, who was a friend of Morris. TELEPHONE APPOINTMENT The story related by Bobbett in the box, was that lie made a telephone appointment with Morris for his wife about IS months ago, though he did not know the object of the meeting. He himself had entered hospital that night and spent six weeks there. After Morris was arrested, at his wife’s suggestion, he wrote to the husband of the womgin operated upon. His wife was sorry for Morris in her trouble, and he had written the letter without thinking of the consequences in the belief that he was helping Morris. He denied that he was induced to write the letter by Morris or that the woman was paying him anything. Under cross-examination Bobbett admitted that part of the letter in which he stated he knew* Morris fairly well was untrue. • He agreed that his statement that Morris had got him out of a of a mess was true, but accused fvas excused by his Honour from making further explanation what this statement meant. “The wells of justice mifst be kept pure,” declared his Honour, in summing up. If people could go about the country interfering with witnesses and jurymen, or anyone connected with the administration of justice, said the judge,- they could say goodbye to justice, the detection of crime or the punishment of offenders. Stupidity was no excuse for committing such a crime. Every criminal was a stupid man because if he could live honestly he would probably do well. 0 The jury returned a verdict of guilty with a recommendation to mercy. Prisoner was remanded for sentence until November 8.