PREFERS THE ASYLUM.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1920, Page 5

PREFERS THE ASYLUM.

'■ TO EIGHT YEARS IN GAO£. PRISONER RESENTS HIS SENTENCE i By Telegraph.—Press Association. [ Auckland, Last Night.

"I think the accused is a Bolshevik," said Mr. Hunt, when perusing the police report in the Supreme Court to-day, on John William McClure, who admitted nine charges of breaking and entering and theft, and a tenth charge of break- , ing and entering with intent. The crimes were committed over a wide area, most of them being at Thames. Mr. Hunt said accused was reported to have objections to the existing law, 1 and to have stated that he would continue to commit offences as long as the law continued in its present form. Until four years ago, when McClure was 38 years of age, he had lived a decent life, but he suddenly went wrong, apparently under some kind of influence, in these four years he had been convicted a number of times, and in August last at Palmerston North, he was sentenced to three years for breaking and entering, which term he was now serving.

His Honor: "It is clear you are unfit to be at large, and that you arc a dangerous criminal so far as breaking and entering and stealing property is concerned. You are sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labor to begin at the end of your present sentence." The accused: "That is eight years' hard labor."

His Honor: "Considering the number of burglaries yon have committed, I think it is very moderate." The accused: "It lias been brought out that I am not very normal mentally. Honestly, do you think anybody is going to serve eight years' hard labor for doing a lot of trivial things? I would prefer to be classed as a lunatic. I have never injured a working man or vobbed an orphan. Don't you think it a bit hot, when I was not in gaol till I was 39 years old?" The accused continued to make a torrent of remarks in a loud voice, and after being assured by the Judge that he would be examined by doctors to ascertain his mental condition, he was removed in the midst of a speech about not caring whether he got another two years for contempt of Court, and that he would sooner be condemned as a lunatic than go through eight years' hard labor.