FOUR CHARGES OF THEFT

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22850, 25 October 1939, Page 13

FOUR CHARGES OF THEFT

REFORMATIVE DETENTION ORDERED \ “DEFENCE WAS DELIBERATE PERJURY” [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, October 24. “So far as each of these three convictions is concerned, your defence was one of deliberate perjury,” said Mr Justice Blair in the Supreme Court to-day to William Clark, a labourer, aged 24. who appeared for sentence on four charges of theft, and one of receiving stolen goods. A jury last week found him guilty on two- charges of theft and one of receiving, and he then pleaded guilty to the two further charges of theft. - “I was 'going to say that you are a polished liar,” continued his Honour, “but you are an inefficient liar. You have added to the gravity of the case by supporting it by deliberate perjury. In each of the instances you said what were obviously rather futile lies.” Clark was sentenced to three years’ reformative detention on one charge of theft from a shop, and nine months’ reformative detention on each of the other charges, the terms to be concurrent.

His Honour- said prisoner was only 24, but he had a most unenviable record. He had . already had his chances, and thefts from sh'ops, which appeared to be his specialty, showed considerable ingenuity. He could not look upon it as altogether accidental that prisoner was able to select moments when shops were vacant to go in and help himself to money and then disappear. After referring to prisoner’s _ perjured evidence, his Honour said Clark had asked to have counsel assigned to him and had said he had evidence of an alibi in two cases. After being found guilty on the other charges however, he pleaded guilty, and rightly so. There were suspicious circumstances about his statement. An alibi should be brought forward early, not belatedly and out of a fertile imagination. The prisoner, continued his Honour, had had more than one chance. His record showed he had actually been convicted 15 times, although many of the convictions had been entered at the same time. He had had a year’s probation, three years in a borstal institution, more probation, and several short terms of imprisonment, and on the last occasion, in December last, he had been given another chalice by being ordered to come up for sentence if called • upon within six months. It showed that leniency was absolutely wasted on him. Shopkeepers generally in New Zealand would be very much safer if he were in custody.