PRISONERS SENTENCED.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1921, Page 6

PRISONERS SENTENCED.

SUPREME COURT SESSIONS. MARRIED WOMAN’S LAPSE. A CASE FOR PROBATION. A number of prisoners appeared before His Honor Mr. Justice Salmond in the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, for sentence. The first case was that of a married woman, Hilda Lydia Davey, aged 27 years, who pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court, New Plymouth, recently, to the theft of moneys amounting to over £4O. Mr. C. H. Weston appeared on behalf of the Crown, and Mr. R. H. Quilliam represented accused. Speaking in mitigation of the offence, Mr. Quilliam said accused was the wife of a respectable citizen. She had a family of five children, the eldest of whom was seven years of age, and the youngest 17 months. The circumstances of the theft were very simple, and counsel said it was obviously the unpremeditated act of a woman who could not realise the consequences of what she was doing. Detection was absolutely certain, but unfortunately when accused of the theft she lost her head and denied the charge. Afterwards she confessed, and the whole of the money had now been refunded.

Counsel said the circumstances were such as justified a lenient punishment, and he asked that His Honor extend the provisions of the Probation Act to this case.

In reply to His Honor, the Crown Prosecutor said there was nothing known against the accused previous to the present case.

Addressing the accused, His Honor said that in view of the fact that she was a young married woman, with five children dependent on her. and needing her care, if, would not be proper to send her To gaol. It was to be hoped, never-. thelews. that the disgrace that had come upon her, and the shame and sorrow she had brought on her husband and relations would be a warning and enable her to realise the necessity of turning over a new leaf. .She would be ordered to come up for sentence when called upon within two years, which meant that she would bo liable to be brought back to the court if she committed another offence. Accused was then discharged on the above terms. An order.was made for the restoration of the money to the owner. A SERIES OF THEFTS. A plea of guiltjr to five charges of breaking and entering and theft at •Stratford had been made by Hilton W Barlow. Before sentence was passed Mr. A. Coleman addressed His Honor on Barlow’s case. Counsel said it presented several unfortunate circumstances, but there were also several matters which might be urged for His Honor’s consideration. Unfortunately accused had been before the court on previous occasions, when he was 15 years of age, and when he was 17. On the latter occasion he was sentenced to five years’ reformative treatment; he served three years, and had been out on license since then, but this, of course, had since been cancelled.

Mr. Coleman pointed out that the last series of offences was committed in premises which were insecure, or which had been very insecurely fastened. Barlow was only 20 years of age, and though it could not be said he was mentally deficient, he was a youth of very low men-

tality, and also suffered from the disadvantage of having had a very slight general education. It seemed he had no moral stamina. The police and his last employer gave him a good reputation as a worker, his parents were very respectable people, and there was nothing objectionable in his general behaviour. At the time of his arrest Barlow was earning 19s a day, counsel said. He did not frequent hotels or billiard rooms, and was not in the habit of going io races. A perusal of the depositions would reveal to His Honor what class of offence this was, and would show that Barlow’s mentality was far below normal. He stole articles which were of no earthly use to him. such as baby clothing, ’carpets, and panes of glass, and he made no attempt to dispose of them. He was not of the hardened criminal class of the cities, nor did he associate with bad characters. Counsel thought, in view of the A* circumstances, that reformatory treatment would be better in the inter-

ests of the boy than a sentence to a common prison. He already had the balance of two years of the reformative detention yet to be served. His Honor: “If the Prisons Board, in liberating accused, thought that he had been adequately and sufficiently reformed at Invercargill they would seem to have been under a misapprehension.” His Honor also remarked that Barlow seemed to have been engaged in com mi t'ting thefts for some years. He did not kjiow whether further reformative detention would be of any use. He would consider the case and deal with Bai low on Wednesday. FIVE YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT. William Webberley, whose case had been adjourned .from last session, after the Grand Jury had found a true bill on a charge of incest, camo up for trial. [The alleged offence occurred about September, 1920, at Kaponga. Mr. C. 11. Croker appeared for accused, and pleaded guilty. Hp said Webberley was 51 years of age, and seemed to be n very near approach to a degenerate. Counsel suggested accused be given reformative treatment, rather than a term of imprisonment. His Honor told Webberley that ho had pleaded guilty to one of the most abhorrent crimes it was possible to commit. It was incapable of extenuation, and must be dealt with as it deserved. Reformative treatment would not be ordered, as it was doubtful whether a man of pris-

oner’s class could be benefited thereby. He would be isenteneed to five years’ imprisonment, with hard labor.