MAN SENTENCED FOR CONSPIRACY

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26814, 20 August 1952, Page 3

MAN SENTENCED FOR CONSPIRACY

IMPRISONMENT FOR THREE YEARS “ BAD CASE MORALLY AND LEGALLY” Francis William Windsor, aged 29, a tailor, who was lound guilty by a jury on a charge of conspiring to defeat the course of justice, was sentenced by Mr Justice Northcroft in the Supreme Court yesterday to three years’ imprisonment with hard labour. On a further charge of obtaining £435 from Herbert Kendall bv falsely representing that a motor-car was his own property and free and unencumbered, whereas it was subject to a hire-purchase agreement, Windsor was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour cumulative to the previous sentence—a total of four years’ imprisonment. Mr B. McClelland, counsel for Windsor, said it was difficult to know what could be said on the prisoner’s behalf except that he came from a broken hgme and so lacked proper influences in his youth. In - the false pretences case the car dealer had behaved foolishly, though that was no excuse for Windsor’s offence. On the conspiracy charge he could submit only that the false evidence had no effect on the finding of the jury, for Windsor was found guilty of the offence with which he was charged. His Honour said that the crime of false pretences was a simple case oi Windsor obtaining about £4OO. The conspiracy offence was a contemn tible one in the extreme. Windsor set out in very stupid fashion to try to help himself in his difficulties by condemning the principal witness in the assault case of loose conduct, which was entirely unjustified. To do this he relied on the affections of a young woman infatuated by him to help him. in his despicable object. “The whole thing is just as bad as it can be, both morally and legally,’’ said his Honour. Admitted to Probation Iris Esther Boock, aged 23, a nursing aid, who had pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to a charge of conspiring to defeat the course of justice. was admitted to probation for two years. Mr J. G. Leggat, who appeared for Boock, said that the offence was vicious in its nature, difficult to detect, and reflected on the honesty of others. But. if ever there was a case where a woman, through her own stupraity and infatuation, had gone to extremes to help a man this was it. Boock had allowed herself to be seduced by Windsor and had travelled through the country with him. Even when Windsor was charged' with a despicable offence against a little girl, Boock stood by him. All the thanks she got was to have her name slandered by Windsor to the police and he even suggested that she gave false evidencr at the May sessions of the Court o her own accord and free from his influence, and this after she had suffered the pain and humiliation of bearing i child to him, only to lose it at birth. Her actions, as she saw them, were for the best and must have caused her great mental distress. Since she had first been interviewed about this offence her conduct had been marked by frankness and she had given evidence freely in the Supreme Court on JWonday. Counsel urged that Boock should be regarded as a foolish, errant, and sentimental accomplice who would regret,for the rest of her life those feelings and motives which had prompted her to act as she did. His Honour said the offence was a very serious one in its effect on society. In this case it was, a mischievous and contemptible one in that it sought to slander a woman most improperly and without the slightest grounds. Broock’s motives were dictated by a stunid infatuation for “this utterly worthless person, Windsor.” Though the offence was a very serious one, in Boock’s case there was room for indulgence which the Court proposed trt apply. Breaking and Entering

Douglas Stanley Davis, aged 23, a labourer, who had pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to charges of breaking and entering the shop of O. Von Sierakowski and stealing 4s, and breaking arid entering the shop of Coulter’s, Ltd., and stealing £4 Ils in money and tobacco valued at 10s 3d, was admitted to probation for three years

His Honour made a special condition that Davis take out a prohibition order and keep it current during the term of his probation. That meant that Davis had to abstain from liquor altogether. The slightest departure from that and he would be brought before the Court and sentenced for the offences. This was an opportunity for Davis to pull himself together and if it failed it appeared that he might drift into being a permanent drunkard and a permanent criminal, said his Honour.