UNNATURAL CRIME.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 260, 2 November 1929, Page 10

UNNATURAL CRIME.

TWO MEN IN COURT,

REFORMATIVE SENTENCES.

"Before' God, I am not guilty!", said Alfred Carter,, holding las right hand above his head. A man 2'9 years of age, he stood in the dock at the Supreme Court this morning for sentence: on a charge of having indecently assaulted a boy of 14. Carter advertised for "boy or youth wanted for city; all expenses paid," and, selecting one of the applicants, induced him to go to a room where Carter lived. •'

Mr. Noble, who appeared for prisoner, said it was hard to find any excuse for such a crime, but prisoner ..was mentally deficient. The-shame and distress of it did not fall so much on the prisoner as upon the family. Counsel understood that the boy in the case-had not actually been harmed. The case-was not so bad as some others of that nature. Carter still protested that' he; was innocent of any offence against the boy. He had never been previously before the Court for anything suggesting moral turpitude. His Honor said it appeared that prisoner ' had a previous conviction against him for theft. Carter stoutly denied this from the dock, and said the only occasion.,.on which he had previously been convicted, was when* he had been sued for maintenance by his wife<. . - i,-- Vy ; Mr. Hubble (Crown. Prosecutor's : : qfficg): ;

said it seemed that the offence 'wW more; or less planned, for. an advertise'? ment liad teen put iri'the newspaperyand boys had been selected;, • ■-..:- His Honor said he did not intend to: take the conviction*, foi' theft' into account, but he would have inquiries made afterwards to see, whether ,the police information was correct or not; he believed it was correct. There was. no doubt that the prisoner was.weak intellectually, but society had to be pro: tected. He proposed to sentence prisoned to reformative treatment i rather, than straight-out gaol. He. hoped that prisoner would redeem himself and not come before the Court again on such a charge. Prisoner was sentenced to three years' reformative treatment.

Mentally Deficient. When John Robert McMullan was called up for sentence on a charge of indecently assaulting a boy, Mr. Ray said accused had met with an accident, the result of which was that he was mentally deficient. The assault was an isolated instance and prisoner had already been in custody two months. His Honor said McMullan did not appear to be a normal person. It wn" difficult to understand such an offc except when committed by persons v. were mentally and morally diseased. 1 proposed to adopt the same course as ii the case of Carter and sentence him to. not straight-out imprisonment, but reformative treatment. Prisoner had previous convictions tor offences of a differ - e.nt nature. It was to be hoped he would never come before the Court again on the charge of which he had been convicted. He would be sentenced to three years' reformative treatment. •