FOUR YEARS’ GAOL

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1077, 15 September 1930, Page 10

FOUR YEARS’ GAOL

LATE CITY EDITION

MAORI FISHERMAN’S CRIMES ARSON AND HOUSE-BREAKING The Maori fisherman, Mati Kura, who admitted setting fire lo the Auckland Fishermen’s Co-operative Coy., Ltd.’s premises, theft from a vessel, and breaking and entering with intent, was sentenced by Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court today, to two years’ hard labour, to be followed by two years’ reformative detention. Mr. Henry pointed out that the prisoner had been an orphan for 12 years, an uncle having taken charge of him after the death of the parents. Kura had been out of work 19 months and had embarked on a career of crime to relieve his impoverished condition. The trousers prisoner had stolen from the vessel were taken to replace his own. which were torn. Counsel suggested that Kura was in an intoxicated condition when he set fire to the premises, the offence being committed entirely without reason. PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED In passing sentence, his Honour said there was no doubt prisoner had committed serious offences. Kura, he said, had been previously convicted of theft and had been given a chance to behave hrmself, but he had not taken advantage of the opportunity given him. Tile prisoner had broken in a boat from whicli he stole certain articles, and had also stolen goods from a fisherman’s shop into which he had broken. The most serious crime of all was arson. It was shown that there had been a deliberate attempt to set fire to the premises in two places, and he therefore could not do otherwise than impose a substantial term of imprisonment.

The sentence was made to run concurrently with one Kura is now serving.