OFFENDERS TO BE FLOGGED

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 967, 9 May 1930, Page 1

OFFENDERS TO BE FLOGGED

JUDGE ISSUES STERN WARNING “CHILDREN MUST BE PROTECTED” A DEFINITE warning that flogging would be the punishment for men who committed crimes against little girls, if offences of that type persisted, was given by Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court today. ‘ Children must be protected,” said his Honour. The threat was made by the judge in sentencing Albert Bache. a labourer, aged 36, to three years' hard labour for assaulting a girl aged 10.

"This is one of these inexplicable cases," said Mr. Noble, on behalf of the prisoner. Counsel said the man had previously borne a good enough character, but had fallen into this sort of offence. Bache, he said, had been in the Army for four anti a-half years and had arrived in New Zealand from Canada only 12 months ago. "He has made a bad start,” commented his Honour. IN POOR HEALTH Counsel pointed out that there had been no violence associated with the offence, and pleaded that the court should take into consideration that prisoner had not been in good health. "Why he did this sort of thing no normal man could understand," added Mr. Noble, who further reminded the judge that Bache had pleaded guilty and thus had obviated the necessity of children coming'to court. The difficulty he was faced with in dealing with such cases, his Honour said, was that at every criminal sit-

ting in Auckland there was a number of sexual crimes, particularly of this type, to deal wtth. “How it is that men like yourself interfere with children. I do not know.'* proceeded the judge, in pointing out that the prisoner had thrice acted intoward the girl. To indicate how seriously the law regarded these sort of offences, his Honour quoted from the Act which indicated that persons indecently assaulting women and children were liable to seven years* imprisonment and to be flogged once, twice or thrice, according to age. “I do not propose to order you to bq flogged in this case,’* the judge proceeded, “but it is just as well that your type of men should understand that if this sort of offence persists* flogging will be the punishment.” In passing sentence the judge said the prisoner had been only in New Zealand a short time and nothing was known about him beyond the facts set out in a statement by the prisoner.