PRISONER SENTENCED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 243, 27 July 1935, Page 3

PRISONER SENTENCED

armed assault and robbery.

FIVE YEARS IN REFORMATORY

(Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, July 26. In the Supreme Court to-day, the Chief Justice (the lit. Hon Sir Michael Myers) sentenced James Hopkins, aged 44, to reformative detention for a period of live years, on charges of assault and robbery while armed. . ie prisoner assaulted and robbed Johanna Byrne and Joseph Byrne at then homo in Tinakori Road on April while armed with an automatic pistol. The Chief Justice, in imposing the sentence, said the prisoner was fortunate, and possibly others were toitunate, that worse results had not followed his visit to the house. I'ornately the prisoner had not used the weapon; but it was quite vvithni the bounds of possibility that Mrs Byrne nimlit have died of shock. Before sentence was passed, counsel called evidence as to Hopkins’ character one witness stating that on io night of tho occurrence the prisoner was “pretty drunk.” Addressing the Bench, counsel said Hopkins had served in the war, ant had been a prominent footballer and an excellent cricketer. He had been wounded, suffered from am. was in receipt of a pension ot £o t s 4d a month. His marriage had been an unhappy one, and it was suggested that this had preyed upon Ins mind. It was pointed out that the cartridges in the automatic pistol were the wrong way round, and that the prisoner had made no attempt to use it. His Honor said the prisoner had <r„ne into a house where an elderly woman was alone and had presented a pistol at her. In sentencing the- prisoner, his Honor said tins was a very painful case that necessarily gave Die sentencing Judge a deal of anxious thought. Robbery under arms-be-cause that was what it amounted towns a verv serious offence, the pii.soner had first of all pointed a pistol at an inoffensive and defenceless o < •woman, whom he gagged and tied up and assaulted. Then subsequently, except for the assault, he did the same thing to 'her son when he came into the house.'