ACCUSED ALL PLEAD GUILTY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14898, 11 February 1914, Page 5

ACCUSED ALL PLEAD GUILTY.

SENTENCE POSTPONED. . A mild surprise was created in tho / Supreme.. Court yesterday morning when Mr H. Ostler, Crown Prosecutor^, (wiflj whom Mr A. F. Wright appeared* intimaied to Mr Justice Denniston that the prisoners connected with the Cus- /. tome frauds intended to plead guilty. In , deference to the wish of, counsel, ' his Honour decided to take the pleas tfare end then. The accused men were- then placed in' tho dock as each charge was read out, and all 'pleaded guilty The accused consisted of John Hill and James Anderson Campbell, late Customs officers; Samuel John 3lcCormick and Christopher Robert Smith. • lately in' the employ of the New .Zealand. Express Company; George Clifford Francis, lately in tho employ of Stevenson, Stewart and Co.; Ernest Walter : TV'ood, lately in the employ of J. M. . Heywootl and Co.; Francis Geoffrey .' Leigh; lately in the employ, of T. H. , Green and Co:; and Hugh Lawton Owen, a Customs agent. After the reading of the charges, and the talcing of the pleas, his Honour said he did not propose to deal with / the cases that morning. He would require as full particulars as possible to ascertain the nature of the different charges. Counsel would require to t>e heard, but -whether he would inflict senr t«noe then or not he did not know. He might, but he would he in a better - position to deal withj the cases later. To suit counsel, his Honour decided to hear ftem at 2 o'clock in the after- . noon, bat said he would not undertake .to ©ire judgment then. . '