"CAT" SENTENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 199, 23 August 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

"CAT" SENTENCE.

CRUEL ATTACK ON TAXI-DRIVER.

At Sussex Assizes Mr. Justice Avory passed sentence of eighteen months' hard labour and twenty strokes of the "cat" upon John Jones (23), a joiner, alias Edwards, for robbery with violence from Alfred Henry Hears, a London taxi driver, at Lower Beding. Mr. E. H. Cohen said that Mears was hired at Maida Vale by two men to drive them to Totehill, Horsham, the residence of Sir Ewart Greaves. Between Horsham and Crawley the cab was stopped by the men, one of whom went to the front where Mears was sitting, hit him on the head with a life preserver, and robbed him of 38/. Mears was then •put into the car, which the men drove to Kennington Oval, where they left it. Mr. Cohen said that prisoner had been charged at Uttoxeter by Mr. Douglas Greaves, who was a schoolmaster, with demanding money by menaces. On that occasion prisoner presented a revolver. When the case came before the magistrates the charge was dropped and Jones was convicted of having a revolver without a license. It was in connection with that matter that he went down to Horsham. He said that he wanted to see Mr. Greaves alone about the affair of last April, the date of the occurrence, but Mr. Greaves refused to see him. His lordship, in passing sentence, said that it was to be regretted that Jones' companion had not been found and was not there to share the punishment he deserved. Prisoner had pleaded guilty to a most deliberate and cruel outrage. It was stated that there were several previous convictions against Jones.