YOUNG MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 112, 14 May 1934, Page 9

YOUNG MEN.

BURGLARY AND THEFT.

SEVEN OFFENDERS SENTENCED.

Seven young men who had pleaded guilty to charges of breaking and entering, or theft, came before his Honor Mr. Justice Ostler at the Supreme Court for sentence this morning. All of them had pleaded guilty to the offences in the lower court.

It was admitted by Mr. Noble, on behalf of Stewart Manuel, a Maori, that lie had rather a bad record. He had come down to Auckland and when "hard up" had stolen from the home of another Maori. The only explanation that counsel could offer was that the Maori did not look upon these matters in the same way as the European.

His Honor said that the prisoner had a bad record and had already been given chances. There was only one thing to do. He would be sentenced to reformative detention not exceeding twb years.

In the case of Leonard Edwin Cox and William Arthur Searle, guilty of theft in the case of the former, and breaking and entering a dwellinghouse, the theft of a motor ear was involved.

Mr. Hall Skelton, who appeared for Cox, said that both young men were under the influence of an older woman. Cox had been in trouble once before and had been granted probation.

Mr. Bryce Hart for Searle said that he was not possessed of the mental equilibrium of a normal citizen. He had appeared before the Court before for breaking a fire alarm and had been sent to a mental hospital.

His Honor said that Cox had committed a very serious offence in stealing a motor car. He had a previous conviction and would be sent to a Borstal institution for a period not exceeding two years. There seemed to be some question about Searle's mentality and the probation officer recommended probation. Searle would be admitted to probation for two years.

"His record shows that he is ripe for discipline," said his Honor of Richard John Cockroft, aged 19 (Mr. Noble) against whom there were two offences of breaking and entering a dwellinghouse and theft.

Prisoner was sent to a Borstal institution for a period not exceeding two years.

Concerning their crime of breaking and entering a shop George Stanley, aged 19, and Frederick Lewis Marryott, 25, had nothing to say. Marryott was sentenced to reformative detention for a period not exceeding two years, and Stanley to a Borstal home for the same term.

In a statement handed to liis Honor Arthur Victor Jones asked for probation for theft and forgery.

His Honor commented that ,'prisoner had about 30 charges on his record and he was really a confirmed criminal. The time for prisoner to make up his mind to reform was when he was serving a sentence and not when he appeared again. This would probably be his last chance, and if he ever appeared again he would be declared an habitual criminal.

The sentence was reformative deten tion not exceeding three years.