A BRUTAL CRIME.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17452, 12 May 1922, Page 4

A BRUTAL CRIME.

THE PIPIROA CASE. PAGE SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS. (press association telegram.) AUCKLXtfD, May 11. Arthur "William Page, who was found guilty of manslaughter in connexion With the death of Gladys Hutchinson at Pipiroa, was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment with hard labour.. In sentencing Page, Mr Justice Stringer said: "In convicting you of manslaughter rather than of the capital crime of murder, the jury .has .adopted the most merciful view of the ■case reasonably open to them. They evidently-thought that, having regard to the illicit relationship which existed between you and the unfortunate woman whose life you destroyed, 'it was probable, or at least possibe, that some quarrel had taken place between you . and her, and that you, inflamed with drink and having a gun in your hands, in a eudden passion and without' premeditation, fired the fatal shot. The facts as placed before them would have justified the jury in finding ryou guilty of murder; but, in view of all the circumstances, it was probably natural and not unreasonable that they should have adopted, the more merciful cours9 which was within their province to do. ; I cannot, however, regard the crime of which you have been convicted as beingother than of the most callous and; brutal character, divided only by a very thin partition from that of actual' murder. Holding this opinion, and, considering your past record, I do notthink I should be doing my duty if I: passed upon you less sentence than that you be imprisoned with hard labour for twenty years."