SUNNYSIDE HOSPITAL CASE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 25 August 1913, Page 5

SUNNYSIDE HOSPITAL CASE

ACCUSED SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS. (JBy Telegraph—Press Association^ CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night.* The hearing of the charge against Joseph , Martin Chapman of striking Charles -Thomas McMeekin, an inmate of Sunnyside Mental Hospital, was concluded at the Supreme Court to-day. After a retirement of fortyfive minutes returned a verdict of "guilty." Mr Donnelly asked that in view of the good record of accused during the past nine- years, in which he had served as attendant at the mental hospital, some clemency should be shown him. He had come Srom Home with high credentials, and during his service at'the hospital had not had a mark against him. His Honor said he would have been glad to have moderated the sentence, but he lfad to consider the nature of the offence, which was a most serious one. Accused had been convicted of a brutally savage assault on a mentally defective patient under his charge. His Honor said that some of the "observations and language used by accused in connection with the deceased justified him in taking a strong view of The assault had evidently been committed by accused in a fit of passion. The evidence fell short of proof that the conduct of accused had actually been responsible for or had accelerated the dieath of this man, but it had been done under circumstances in which a person under his charge had been unable to defend himself. His Honor therefore felt that he wa.s only doing his duty in imposing the maxi- ; mum penalty of two years imprisonment.