SUPREME COURT TRIALS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11877, 26 April 1904, Page 8

SUPREME COURT TRIALS.

o (I_ESS ASSOCIATION TELEGHAitS.) WELLINGTON, April 25. At the Supremo Court, Neil Joseph Harrington, charged on four counts with attempted rape, indecent assault, and common astault, was found not guilty. Rupsrt Watt, aged 16. years, who pleaded guilty in the Wanganui Magistrate's Court to a charge of breaking and entering, waa admitted to probation for twelve months. Louis Fraiit-en was sentenced to eighteen months' hard labour for theft. Arthur Grogan, who pleaded guilty in the lower Court to a charge of theft, and who is at present aerving a term for horse stealing, was sentenced to twelve months' hard labour, to begin at the expiration of his present sentence. Joseph Paulson, for stealing 19s from the person, was sentenced to twelve montlis' hard labour. Two Syrians named Peter and Hanna Stephens, brothers, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud Malcolm and Co. (Christchurch) and others, being creditors of Peter Stephens. Counsel for the prisoners pointed out that Peter Stephens was a foreigner,, and possibly did not conceive the offence to be as serious as it was, while his brother, Hanna Stephens, had acted entirely under Peter's influence, and was a man who had hitherto borne a good character. Bankrupt's stock had been purchased from a trustee, to whom it was assigned for £460, of which Hanna Stephens had found some £250, and he would now be at the loss of that. Proceedings had been instituted by the Official Assignee to recover from accused some of the money wliich the creditors had lost, and Hanna Stephens had, with the assistance of friends, found a sum of money and paid-it to the Official Assignee. Peter Stephens was tried before the Chief Justice in February last for offences under the Bankruptcy Act, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment which he was at present undergoing. At the time the Chief Justice practically sentenced prisoner on x the present charge as he pointed out in passing sentence tliat one of his reasons for imposing a sentence was that the creditors had suffered a loss of between £400 and £500." Bankrupt's stock was now about being sold and the loss to the creditors would not be very large. Peter Stephens had some two montlis and a half of his present sentence yet to serve., His Honour said the Chief Justice had informed him that he understood in passing the previous sentence on Peter Stephens that it really covered the present charge. Accordingly he would pass the nominal sentence of two months imprisonment to be concurrent with the present term. Hanna Stephens was, remanded until to-morrow for the probation officer's report. GISBORNE, April 25. At the Supreme Court four highly respected young men, George Comer, John Nicholson Shaw, Thomas Fell, and Ralph Beaufoy, wero oliarged with cattle-stealing at Motu, on September 14th. The evidence for the prosecution was to the effect that accused shot- a beast, which, they alleged, they supposed to be wild, but whicb was really the property of the informant, who is also a Motu settler. The case is still proceeding. In the course of the trial his Honour intimated that it amounted to larceny to shoot a calf running with an earmarked cow, apparently wild, which one of the witnesses admitted he bad done, and thought he had a right to do. "I suppose you know you were guilty of larceny?" said his Honour. Witness said no. His Honour: "But you were." Witnew: "We killed them on our own place." His Honour: "It doesn't matter where you killed it. You killed a calf belonging to somebody else's cow, and you are guilty. I don't propose to discuss the matter with you, but you had better be careful in your dealings. For the information of your neighbours, if they are so ignorant, I may say the law won't let you say "I thought *o," although tbe Judge might take that into consideration. It is better , for* the publio to. understand this if they are so lamentably ignorant." In hia addrefs to tlie Grand Jury, Mr Justice Edwards briefly referred to a case of tohungaism, on which he said tue jury needed direction in points of law. If the jury believed death was caused by the practices of accused, then their dutywas to return' a true bill, although the accused might have acted in ignorance and without intention to do any harm. ®