HOUSE BREAKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 45, 23 February 1931, Page 11

HOUSE BREAKERS.

SUPREME COURT SENTENCES.

TWO SENT TO BORSTAL.

PRISON FOR THREE OTHERS,

Two young breakers wore sent to the Borstal Institute when they appeared for sentence before Mr. Justice Herdman in the Auckland Supreme Court to-day, and three others were imprisoned. "House-breaking is becoming common and is particularly common at the present time," said his Honor. An offence of breaking and entering a house at Ohaupo, near Te Awamutu, and theft was admitted by Herbert Williams, 22 (Mr. Mervyn Adams) and Maurice Weston (Wiston) IS (Mr. Noble), who were committed from Te Awamutu on February 4. Mr. Noble referred to the offence as a "desperate crime," which nothing could justify; but he submitted on Weston's behalf that his father had been killed on active service when he was a boy of four and his mother died about the same time. He had his schooling at Waiuku and had since been engaged in farm work in the country. Williams, the other prisoner, had a disagreement with his step-mother, said Mr. Adams, and a number of offences lie had admitted were the result of his efforts to get food. His Honor, in passing sentence, said the property stolen was valued at iUO S/S. Williams had previously served a term of two years in the Borstal Institute, but that did not seem to have done him any good. He had also been sentenced to three months for theft at Te Awamutu. "It is difficult to distinguish between you," said his Honor to the two prisoners. "You are both mischievous and apparently uncontrollable." Williams and Weston were both sentenced to two years in the Borstal Institute.

REFORMATIVE DETENTION.

A middle-aged man, Frederick Charles O'Connor, committed from Hamilton for breaking and entering a dwelling by day and theft, was ordered to be detained for reformative purposes for two years. His Honor said the prisoner had been before the Court on five occasions. He began his criminal career in 1924 and appeared to have carried on in that way to the present time. Two offences had been admitted in this instance. "THOROUGHLY BAD MAORI." A Whakatane Maori, Hirai Mokai, who had admitted crimes of attempted rape, and breaking and entering a house by night with intent to commit a crime, was described by his Honor as a "thoroughly bad Maori." His Honor said: "It is a pity to see a member of your race in the position you occupy to-day. Unfortunately, a good many of your race have been here recently." Previous crimes by the prisoner were attempted rape, and breaking alid entering, said his Honor, and he had only recently been released on license from a' prison carhp. The police report was that he was a menace to all the native women. Probably he interfered with other women in addition to the one concerned in the present case. There could be no possible excuse for his brutal behaviour. Prisoner could be sent to gaol for ten years, and the Court had power to order a flogging. That course would not be taken now, but the sentence would be heavy. Mokai was sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labour.

"PARENTS ERRED SERIOUSLY."

Another Maori, Jack Hana, 24, committed from Rotorua for breaking and entering and theft, said through an interpreter that his parents were entirely to blame for his crime, because they had not looked after him. His Honor: Your parents seem to have erred seriously, because you have 25 previous convictions, mostly for theft. The amount of the theft in this instance is small, hut the serious feature is that a butcher's shop was broken into." He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour.