Gaol on 27 charges

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33965, 4 October 1975, Page 17

Gaol on 27 charges

An “incorrigible burglar” who was said to have engaged in a spree of dishonesty throughout the North and South Islands between October, 1974, and July last was imprisoned for four ■years when sentenced by Mr Justice Casey ini the Supreme Court yes-, terday. Joseph Richard Fraser, aged 46, unemployed, had! ■pleaded guilty in the Magis-j itrate’s Court to 23 charges! I of burglary, three of obtain-! : ing credit by fraud, and one; of theft. The Magistrate had' declined jurisdiction, and, committed him to the Su-! ipreme Court for sentence, i Mr G. M. Brodie, for the! prisoner, said that since his release from prison after serving a long term, he had made an effort to keep out of trouble. It was not until! October, 1974, that he had: embarked on the bout of! offending. Fraser’s offending this time had begun with the death of his child. Since he had left prison, he had been able to get only casual farm work to support his de facto wife and their children. It

had been impossible for him' to get steady work. Fraser had obtained only small sums from the burglaries. Counsel asked his Honour not to regard Fraser as “a one-man crime wave” but as a man regretting the death of his child. When apprehended by the ■ police. Fraser had been co- , operative. He had pleaded) I guilty and had saved the I Crown a substantial amount! ' of money. He was resigned i to his fate, but had an earnest desire to raise his ■young family. His Honour said that the ionly thing which could be! I said in Fraser's favour was I that he had tried to change I his way of life during the 1 ' last two or three years, but! .lit had been a very short-! I lived attempt. More than $3OOO was inIvolved in the charges. Counsel had said that only small I amounts were involved in the individual charges, but this was because that was all that had been available] to be stolen. Since 1950, Fraser had I been sentenced to 174 years I imprisonment for burglary, theft, and other offences of dishonesty. At one stage he had been sentenced to preventive detention, but that had been altered on appeal to a finite term. “At 46. you seem quite unable to change your ways.” his Honour told him.

“It is a pity, because you* are a good worker both in) and out of prison. You co-j operated with the police, j and faced up to your re-| sponsibilities by pleading i guilty. “Cleariv. you must be! classed as an incorrigible! burglar, and the protection of the public requires that you be sentenced to a long term.” his Honour said.