WELLINGTON SUPREME COURT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8351, 6 February 1907, Page 5

WELLINGTON SUPREME COURT.

By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, February 5. At the Supreme Court, to-day, John Burke was found guilty of criminal assault on a girl seven years of age, and was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude and ordered to receive two floggings each of twentyfive lashes. His Honor said no case had ever been before him in which such brutal conduct by a man to a child, whose infancy and imbecility should have been her protection, had been so clearly proved. Noon Assad, who pleaded guilty to the theft of a cheque, was admitted to probation. Tom Bayon, for breaking and entering and theft, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. James Ellis, James Gerard, and George Williams, charged with assault and robbery, were acquitted. The Grand Jury threw out the bill charging William O'Brien and Palmer Spry, of the City . Fire Brigade, with the manslaughter of Amy Kensington. Before being discharged the Grand' Jury submitted two presentments td the Court. The first one was: "We respectfully beg to draw your Honor's attention to the system, brought under our notice during the giving of evidence and acknowledged to obtain in business houses of allowing special discounts # on the private accounts of officers of public bodies. In the case directly brought under our notice the discount of 25 per cent, was allowed. We respectfully contend that such a system is demoralising to the commercial life and in 1 particular offers an incentive to obtaining contracts by methods which cannot be regarded as strictly honest." The second presentment was with regard to statements made x by a girl to the police, the Grand Jury suggesting that such statements should only be taken in the presence of a witness.