Sentence deferred in Hearst case

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34128, 14 April 1976, Page 21

Sentence deferred in Hearst case

; f.V ZP A -Reuter —Copyright) SAN FRANCISCO. April 13. Patricia Hearst will tomorrow begin the second round of her battle against criminal charges, having had a sentence for armed bank robbery deferred yesterday for 90 days, during which she will undergo further psychiatric and medical examinations.

Hearst will enter a plea of not guilty in a Los Angeles court tomorrow on 11 charges of burglary, assault, and armed kidnapping carrying a possible life sentence. She will face trial jointly with two of her Symbionese Liberation Army companions, William and Emily Harris, a married coupe.l whom she has denounced.

In a San Francisco court yesterday, Judge Oliver Carter said that he had received extensive psychiatric reports from Flearst's personal doctors, and had decided that he wanted Federal experts to provide him with separate study before sentencing! her. ; “It is the intention of the Court to follow a policy of getting the most information before ultimate sentence is pronounced,” the judge said. “I should have the benefit of psychiatric reports of institutional people, which will give me an extensive and balanced judgment.” To enable him to commit Hearst to an institution, Judge Carter sentenced Hearst provisionally to a maximum of 35 years in prison, but he said that he would reduce this when 'passing final sentence in (three months, and added (that he even had the power Ito release her on probation. “The offence of which the (defendant has been found i guilty is a most serious one. land one which, because of I what occurred. could Be •classified as being both brutal and violent,” Judge Carter said. I "I have received scores ofi

letters from Hearst’s friends, saying that she was a kidnap victim, and that she did not act voluntarily tn going into the Hibernia bank, which is owned by a close friend of her father. “The judgment of these people is most sincere on their part, but I must respectfully disagree with them because of the body of the evidence.” Judge Carter added that he had no intention of overturning the guilty verdict returned bv the jury on March 20. Defence counsel (Mr F. Lee Bailey) had submitted that there were a number of

mitigating factors, and he described the kidnapping of; Hearst as “one of the most difficult ordeals any Ameri-; can family has ever had to. endure.” Another defence lawyer, Mr Albert Johnson, declined to comment after the hearing on whether Hearst would turn State’s evidence against the Harrises at her new trial tomorrow. “There have been no nego-, tiations, no deals, i.o bar-’ gains of any kind,” he said. He indicated that the trial might well be delayed by the psychiatric and "medical study, which would begin almost immediatelv.