THE MOTUIHI ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 46, 22 February 1918, Page 4

THE MOTUIHI ESCAPE.

FINDING OF COURT-MARTIAL. I COLONEL TURNER GUILTY. ' ! DISMISSED FROM THE SERVICE.

The court-martial which sat in Auckland from January 9 to February 2 to consider the case of Lieut.-Col. C. H. Turner, formerly Commandant of the Motuihi Island Internment Cnmp, " n reference to the escape of eleven German prisoners, has promulgated its sentence, and Col. Turner has been dismissed from the Forces. The following three _]_ar-*es were preferred against Col. Turner:— (1) Without reasonable excuse allowing persons to escape committed to liis charge, in that he at Motuihi Island, on or about the 13th day of December, 1917, while Commandant of the island, and having the care, charge and custody upon tlie said island of certain prisoners of war and interned alien enemies, to wit, , one Lieut.-Commander Count yon Luckner, Lieut. Kirscheiss, Wireless Operator Grun, Wireless Engineer Freund, Naval Cadets yon Zalorski, Paulsen, Schmidt, Mellert, Klohn, Seaman Er-mann, and one. yon Egidy, a Samoan Government official, allowed the said Commander Count yon Luckner and the others to obtain possession of a launch and to make other preparations for their escape without taking reasonable precautions to prevent it, and thus permitted their escape. (2) Without reasonable excuse allowing to escape persons whom it was his duty to keep, in having done the act. alleged in the particulars to the first charge. (3) Without reasonable escuse allowing to escape persons whom it was his d'"ty to guard, in having done the acta alleged in the particulars of the first charge. The finding of the Court was that he wars guilty of the first charge, and not guilty of the second and third charges,' wherefore he was sentenced to be dismissed from the Defence Forces of New Zealand under section 23 of the Defence Act Amendment Act, 1912. •, The sentence has been duly confirmed, by' General Sir Alfred Robin, G.0.C., confirming officer. NO FURTHER COtTRT-MARTIAI. (Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. Judgment in the Motuihi inquiry, in addition to recommending the dismissal of Colonel Harcourt Turner, deals with the responsibility of headquarters and district officers in relation' to the escape. The authorities have not yet decided whether these observations are to be made public, but it is evident no responsibility on officers other than the Motuihi Commandant has been sheeted home, because, the Minister for . Defence, .has decided that no further court-martial is necessary.