“SHOCKING RECORD” OF PRISONER

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27988, 7 June 1956, Page 15

“SHOCKING RECORD” OF PRISONER

PREVENTIVE DETENTION IMPOSED Edward Bonner Collins, aged 58, who had pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to five charges of false pretences and two of attempted false pretences and had been committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, was sentenced to preventive detention when he appeared before Mr Justice Adams yesterday. Mr J. G. Rutherford, who represented Collins, submitted that the prisoner would benefit more from a short term of imprisonment followed by probation than he would from a long term of preventive detention. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr A. W. Brown) said that Collins had a formidable list. He had 52 convictions for false pretences and 15 for theft besides minor offences. He seemed to be a confirmed offender. “Your record is a shocking one, Collins," said his Honour, ‘tin 1924 you were declared a habitual criminal. In the intervening 32 years you have spent 26 years in prison. It may well be that you are more to be pitied than blamed. Apparently you are incapable of living in society without committing these offences. It seems essential for the protection of the community that you be incarcerated for a long period.” . A sentence of preventive detention would cancel the earlier declaration of being a habitual criminal. Preventive detention limited the detention to 14 years but the minimum was three years, said his Honour. Preventive detention was then imposed on Collins.