A DANGEROUS MAN.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 May 1917, Page 2

A DANGEROUS MAN.

FOUR YEARS' .IMPRISONMENT FOR ASSAULT.ON CHILD. Christchureh, Slay I^. In the Supreme Court to-day, Charles Valentine Kear, a returned soldier, was charged with indecent assault on a girl under the age of twelve years. The jury returned the following verdict: "Guilty, with a recommendation that, as accused is a returned soldier, wounded in the defence of his country, as much mercy as possible should be extended to him as is consistent with the proper protection of the community." Mr. Justice Dennis!on. after referring to accused's record, which showed a conviction for theft in 1017, said he would give as much attention as possible to the recommendation to mercy, but in these cases attention had to be given to the interests of the country. Men who did these things were sometimes not responsible for their actions in the sense that they hart strong animal impulses which they did not resist. He had to protect the children of the country from such men as these, but lie would endeavor to make some allowance for the fact that accused was a returned soldier. With his present propensities prisoner ws a dangerous man. This case was surrounded with sojhe characteristics which made it one of the worst of this class he had had before him for some time. He felt he was giving really more weight to the jury's recommendation than he should in sentencing accused to four years' imprisonment. If it had not been for the circumstances of his military career, a much longer sentence would have been imposed.