WOMAN THREATENED WITH REVOLVER

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23942, 8 May 1943, Page 6

WOMAN THREATENED WITH REVOLVER

JURY FINDS MAN GUILTY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 7. After a retirement of 2 hours 23 minutes to-day, the jury in the Supreme Court at Wellington convicted Alexander William Crossan, a boot repairer, aged 44, of rendering a woman incapable of resistance by threats, with the object of committing the crime of abducting her, and of intimidating her with a revolver. They acquitted him of being a rogue and vagabond in that he was found in possession of a revolver with felonious intentions. He was remanded for sentence till the close of the session.

Cross-examined by the Crown Prosecutor (Mr W. H. Cunningham), Crossan admitted being convicted at Hamilton in 1922 for a'series of crimes tor which he received seven years’ reformative detention. In 1932 he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonmnt for breaking and entering and escaping from custody. In 1934 he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for robbery. “This is a very strange and unusual case,’’ said Mr Justice Smith summing up. “Very rarely in this country do we hear of a citizen alleging she has been kidnapped in the night and taken away a prisoner under threat of death.’’ Accused gave a very different version, that the woman went with him to prevent him from committing suicide.