HOUSE AND CATTLE THEFTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3055, 27 November 1908, Page 5

HOUSE AND CATTLE THEFTS.

SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS' IMPRISONMENT. At the criminal sessions of the Wellington Supreme Court, yesterday, Mr Justice Cooper passed a sentence of two years' imprisonment on a young man, Gilbert Langdon, 19 years of age, a drover by occupation. On Wednesday the prisoner was found guilty of theft of a mare belonging to a native named Hakaraea, near Norsewood, Hawke's Bay. An intimation was made that prisoner had pleaded guilty in the Lower Court to cattle stealing, and that he would also be sentenced those offences this morning. Mr Herdman s&.id it was out of the question under the cricumstances, to apply for probation. But he wished to bring under the notice of the court that prisoner was only nineteen years of age, and that there was evidence on the depositions to show that he had hitherto borne a good character. The medical evidence and the evidence of the lad's mother also showed that he suffered an accident during his birth, and that he had been of an eccentric disposition. Counsel sub' mitted that his client ha 3 yielded to a sudden temptation. His Honor questioned whether it was a sudden temptation, and observed that this was one of those cases in which it was impossible for him to avoid inflicting punishment. One of the most painful duties a Judge had to perform was that which involved the necessity of sentencing to imprisonment a comparatively young man. The prisoner in the present case was not a mere youth; he Was a grown man, although only 19 years of age. He had been convicted of horse-stealing, besides having p'eaded guilty to a series of charges of cattle stealing commencing on 9th October, and i extending to 23rd Uctober. .It was not the ordinary class of stealing a j beast that sometimes came before ' the court; it was wholesale cattlestealing, the total value of the property being £l5O. The First Offenders' Probation Act could not by any means be applied to the case. It might be that the injury which prisoner suffered from his birth might have bad some sinister effect on his moral character. Most persons who commenced a career of crime had some unhealthy twist in their character, caused in many instances by circumstances over which they had no control. But the exigencies of the State required that however unfortunate they might be in being unable to control themselves they had to be punished for the offences which they committed. His Honor regretted v£ry mueh" that there was not in this Dominion softie means for segregating prisoners who had not been previously convictedfrom associating with older and more hardened offenders. His Honor would under these circumstances suggest to the gaoler that he should, as far as the regulations of the prison permitted, do what he could to prevent the prisoner from associating with the class mentioned. Frjm what he knew of the gaoler, Mr Armstrong, he had no doubt he would, as far as the regulations of the prison permitte do what he could to present the prisoner from being contaminated by associating with hardened convicted prisoners. His Honor could make no order, he could only make the suggestion. This offence of cattle-steal-ing was a very serious one indeed. It caused loss to settlers, and it was very hard *o detect in many instances. If it was once to go forth from this court that systematic cattle stealing, even by young men, should be met with merely a nominal punishment, he was afraid a great injury would be done to the farming com munity. Not only that, but there would be a kind of invitation to persons dishonestly inclined to commit breaches of the law on the sunposition that they might be dealt with nominally. He would not pass on prisoner a sentence he would pass on a man of mature age. But it must be a sentence which would indicate that these offences to which prisoner had pleaded guilty were of a serious nature. Prisoner would be sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour on each offence,the terms to run concurrently. His Honor concluded that he could not avoid feeling sympathy and compassion for the parents and for the young man himself. But one had to do what was a painful duty, and is Honor passed what in the circumstances he thought was a lenient sentence on prisoner, although at the same time it was a substantial sentence, and one which indicated that these offence could not be permitted to pass without sunbstantial punishment.—'' Post.''