SENTENCED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 170, 20 July 1936, Page 8

SENTENCED.

CRIME PUNISHED.

THEFT OF POSTAL PACKETS

YOUNG CLERK'S OFFENCES,

Having pleaded guilty to 15 charges involving breaking and entering and theft from dwellings, an office and pillar

■ boxes, William Roger Gabriel Osborne East, a clerk, aged 24, appeared in the Supreme Court before Mr. Justice 1 air this morning for sentence. Cumulative and concurrent sentences which were imposed upon him amounted to reformative detention for a period of two years. The charges against East were one of the theft of two ibooks, worth 10/, the. property of the Auckland Public Library; three charges of breaking and entering the dwellings of A. C. Odlin in Mountain Road, Epsom, Dr. W. C. Ring, Wheturangi Road, Greenlane, and H. T. Hall, Wairere Avenue, and stealing property of a total value of £7 0/9; four charges of attempting to steal postal packets from pillar boxes in the Greenlane, Kemuera and Epsom districts, jive charges of theft of postal packets, and two charges of breaking and entering the counting house of C. and A. Odlin, Limited, Newmarket, and stealing property valued at 12/. Mr. Winter, who appeared for tlie prisoner, said that East's father, a medical practitioner, had seemed to have had an unfortunate career financially during the latter years of his life. He had died about six years ago, leaving the young man and his mother practically destitute. East had been out of a job since about April and his net gain ill the offences for which he was to be sen- j tenced had been small. A farmer on the Hauraki Plains was prepared to give him a position on his farm, and it seemed that manual labour of such sort would be the best thing for him to help him occupy his mind. "Very Grave Offence." His Honor: Breaking and entering by day is a serious offence, and breaking j and entering by night is a more serious j offence. Interference with property in , the form of letters and packets is also j a very grave offence. J Concurrent sentences, amounting to twelve months' reformative detention, wore imposed for the offences of 'breaking and entering. For the theft and attempted theft of postal packets further concurrent sentences amounting to twelve months' detention were imposed, to be cumulative on the other sentences, making a* total of two years' detention. "Whether, when the accused returns a free man, he will live a self-respecting life seems to depend very iaigely on himself," remarked his Honor. He said ! he would recommend that East should be sent to such an institution as Waikeria. INCEST AND FORGERY. Appearing on charges of incest and forgery, a young Maori, John Pomare, was acquainted through ail interpreter of his sentence to three years' detention in a Borstal institute on tlie lirst charge, and to one year's detention on< tlie second, the latter sentence to be concurrent with the first. "The offence of incest to which he has pleaded guilty is a very grave one," his Honor said, his remarks being translated into Maori. "In considering his sentence, however, I take into consideration his youth, the fact that he has admitted the offence and the fact that it was not the result of persuasion or solicitation on his part." He hoped that on his return the youth would make amends for the shame he had brought on his family. Pomare was committed for sentence from Rawene. THEFT OF CATTLE. "Thefts of cattle are serious offences, particularly ill the back country where j farmers cannot exercise a strict control over their stock," commented his j Honor when John Arthur Yates, a young I man who had been committed for sen-1 tenee at Whangarei on two charges of stealing cattle, was brought before him. He was sentenced to twelve months'! imprisonment with hard labour on eaelij charge, the sentences to be concurrent, j Mr. Finlay, who appeared for Yates, j said that the youth seemed to require ' control. He had had previous convictions, his offences including the 'theft of water melons and petrol and the conversion of a motor car. He was a boy of weak moral character, and a very long period of strict probation should help him. The Crown prosecutor, Mr. Meredith: Though this man is young, cattle stealing in a country such as ours has been . always looked upon as a most serious offence. MAORI SENT TO PRISON. ~~~ , A fairly long list of offences was recalled by his Honor in the case of a ■ Maori, Mati Kura, aged 30, charged with ' breaking and entering two Auckland ; dwellings and committing theft. "I plead guilty to that because I took : the stuff all right, but I did not break ! into any house yet," said the prisoner. With a record such as you have you cannot expect anything but a sentence of imprisonment," said his Honor. "You seem to be determined to follow a life of crime and to live by thieving rather than by working." \ Kura was sentenced on each charge to twelve months' imprisonment with "hard labour, the sentences to be concurrent.