JUSTICE DEMANDS GAOL.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 182, 3 August 1929, Page 12

JUSTICE DEMANDS GAOL.

OFFENCES AGAINST YOUNG GIRL THE NGARUAWAIOA. CASE. TANFIELD GUTS 18 MONTHS. "The interests of justice demand that conduct like yours should, be treated by imprisonment," said Mr. Justice Ostler in the Supreme Court this morning in sentencing Eaymond Claude Tanfield to 18 months' imprisonment with hard labour for his crime of carnal knowledge and abducting; a girl aged 15. Prisoner committed the oiTences at Ngaruawahia and Auckland. In pleading for leniency for accused, Mr. . Schramm said that unfortunately Tanfield met the young girl and became infatuated with her at a time when he had divorce proceedings pending. He honestly intended to marry the girl when he got his decree. Tanfield's "trouble was that he had slipped back when his wife turned out a failure. / Mr. Schramin asked that the provisions of the Probation Act be extended to accused in view of the recommendation of the jury to mercy. The judge said that Tanfield's case was very .different from' that of the young man Davis, who lie understood had been found guilty of offences against the same girl. .Davis was unmarried, and when he found the girl was in trouble, immediately took the responsibility and offered to marry her. Tanfield, however, was a married man, 26 years of age, with two children, and he had no business to make advances to the girl at all. It was no excuse for him to say that he. was taking steps to get a divorce. If •his intentions had been honest he .should have waited till he was free. He was clearly warned that the girl was only 15, and by his conduct showed he was aware of the crime he was committing by taking her away from her parents.. Probation was out of the questoin, but the recommendation of the jury had assisted in Tanfield's sentence being reduced. V