Wilder will serve 9 yrs

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32460, 21 November 1970, Page 2

Wilder will serve 9 yrs

(N.Z. Press Association)

AUCKLAND, Nov. 20. . A wooden-faced George Wilder received the news in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court today that he was to spend another nine years in goal. In a reserved decision, Mr J. B. Bergin, S.M., said that although he had heard evidence of Wilder’s artistic and literary talents from friends of Wilder, this was not enough to offset a flagrant breaking of the law. He found after perusing the Criminal Justice Act that the application by the Probation Service was in order. It followed Wilder pleading guilty to a breach of his probation conditions at Kaikohe. The Magistrate said that after the time and trouble the authorities and the Probation Service had gone to in the rehabilitation of Wilder, he had committed a breach of trust. The remaining nine years of Wilder’s sentence are to be served concurrently with the three-year sentence imposed in the Supreme Court recently. Mr M. J. A. Brown, for the Probation Service, argued that there were grounds for Wilder to be recalled to prison under Section 36, subsection 3, of the Criminal Justice Act, 1954. His counsel, Mr C. A. McLaren, had said that as Wilder had been sentenced to three years goal on receiving charges a few hours before the application for recall was made, he was no longer on probation. This being the case, he argued, the Probation Service application was ou\ of order.