CHRISTIE SENTENCED.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 267, 8 November 1923, Page 5

CHRISTIE SENTENCED.

GAOL FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. j JUDGE OK SHAM INSANITY. (By Telegraph.— Preie Assoclatloo-J DUXEDIST, this day. At the Supreme Court, Joseph Thomas Christie, alias Joseph Vernon J Williams, "was sentenced, -to a total of i fifteen years on two chaTges of break--3 mo , and entering iiiul theft from "the ! premise* ~\>f tie Otago Farmers' Co-op. Company, and on ft cliarge of escaping f from custody. Prior to the sentence prisoner's counsel Bterted that he had 5 been .twice committed to the mental f 'hospital, which probably was the i cause of his trouble, i Judge Sim said "that ihe noted from i the record that prisoner was declare* ' an Jiabitual criminal in Wellington in 1017. Jt- eeemed to be hie practice to i get transferred from, gaol to the mental ! hospital and then dodge the warder 1 there. . This had been done botii in ; Australia and New Zealand. He hoped : the gaol authorities ■would not be so i easily persuaded ac to Ms insSaaity ill . the future. i The C?ro>wn, Prosecutor intervened to I state tjha.t it haA. been reported that , Christie made another attempt to es--1 cape from custody -within the last few s days. i The Judge, in imposing the sentence, > addressed prisoner, stating that the ' result «Jt the sentence should be that , he would !have no luxfher opportunity ; of causing , trouble to the police. If he did it would be due to the carelessness .of tihe gaolers 'because the Prison i Board would never dream of releasing ! such a man.-