A STRANGE CASE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17882, 1 October 1923, Page 4

A STRANGE CASE.

GIRL AS HOUSEBREAKER. That she. was,suffering from psychas.theriia, a branch; of which trouble was often kleptomania, was the opinion .-.'ex-' presded bx'DrV.D. E. Penwick at; the Supreme y Court, at Wellington on Saturday,;' whea speaking of a girl nanjed Marion Jean: ; Lewis; who , appeiared for sentence before Mr Justice MacGregor. oh:chargesof breaking, The accused was before the - : Magistrate 'a Court last Wednesday, wKepsio entered a plea of'guilty to ill the charges. His Honour said: he'did riot have the report of the probation jonlcqr before him, and for that reason .he did not propose to deal'with; the prisoner iliat morning. Mr J. P. B. Stevenson,, who appeared for the accused', asked leave to call certain medical v evid<3nbe, and his. Honour agreed to this course. Dr. Penwick said, that he had, special. experience in nervous troubles". He had examined the prisoner\ on' 27th and 28th September, and haifalso,enquired into her past history arid her family history. He. had found -that in 1914 Lewis - had. suffered, a severe mental breakdown, and firom that illiiess she ; had not completely recovered. He ; hsd also found that an aunt of the prisoner had been committed to a mental hospital for ; treatment. The prisoner, Dr. Penwick, was suffering from ;no form of .insanity, but was, sufferirig Iroi, a mental disability,known ,as psytfhadthenia. . This trouble was characterised by certain fears and cdrtain ■ acts. , He would have diagnosed the girl's condition, apartv altogether from the charges. • The,girl had told him that she bfoke, into Jhe. Houses without any preconceived idea of what once iii the house shosjust topk'' fen? In answer to Mr Dr. Pen-* - as* a- long holiday" in new iufr.Ouridirigs, : ,of' 'marriage, would be very likely t6 , have ;a beneficial effect b ! ri the prisoner. His Hclnbur: remanded Lewis to 'appear, before him oil Tuesday n)ornii(& Ho'refused "bail in :.tho ing, that ;the prisoner- • would bo quite.comfortable at Point Halslvell. '.