CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 31, 7 February 1928, Page 9

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

21 CASES FOR TRIAL. TRUE BILLS RETURNED. NO CHARGES OF NEGLIGENT DRIVING, i Twenty-one cases, in which the most serious charge was one of attempted murder, awaited the attention of Mr. Justice Reed and the Grand Jury when the quarterly criminal sessions opened at the Supreme Court to-day. The Grand Jury was as'follows:— Messrs. Ernest Aldridge (foreman), G. H. Wilson, L. A. Walsh, A. C. Upton, C. R. Petrie, J. Is". Ormiston, E. Colson, G. Paykel, D. J. McGowan, B. de B. Noakes, L. Cowan, J. I. Downs, A. S. Evans, G. M. Fenwick, E. J. George, J. P. Jackson, F. W. Jeffers. J. 'h! Lethaby, T. V. Masefield, W. S. MacKav! and R. P. Worley.

Giving his charge, his Honor said he did not think the Grand Jury would have any difficulty in returning true bills in all the cases. There were two distinctive features with regard to the calendar before them, firstly that there were no cases of negligent driving, causing death, and secondly that there was a remarkable number of sexual offences, amounting to between one-third and a-half of the whole. Fortunately, none of these involved violence. There were four cases of breaking and entering and theft, and four of theft, including one of robbery from the person. There was one case of an unusual character, namely, a charge against a woman of making a false declaration in regard to her employment as a barmaid.

The most serious charge was that against a man named Lawrence Mackenzie, who was accused of attempting to murder his wife by gas poisoning. His Honor did not think the Grand Jury would have any difficulty in returning a true bill in this case. The question of the prisoner's mental condition would arise, but this did not concern them at the present juncture. True bills were returned before lunch in the first 14 cases dealt with. These included the four charges of breaking and entering and theft, the charge of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm, the case against William Henry Grant (who is accused of assaulting a warder and causing actual bodily harm in an attempt to escape from Mount Eden gaol), the one case of alleged bookmaking, and the charge of theft from the person.