GAOL FOR PERJURY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 171, 13 April 1908, Page 7

GAOL FOR PERJURY.

» V MRS. ROBINSON. A "MASTER MIND" BEHIND THE PLOT. ' .TEMPTED TO THE CRIME. FOUR YEARS' GAOL. BY IELEOEAPII—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPTWOm. (Rec. April 12, 4.12 p.ni.) London, April 11. Mary Robinson, who confessed to having sworn falsely during tho hearing of a charge of perjury brought .against Herbert Druce, son of tho late T. C. Druce, by George Hollamby Druce, claimant; to . the Portland ostates, has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Tho . prosecuting counsel, Mr. Avory, declared that tho offence was tho worst possible, and was committed solely from sordid motives. 7 Mr. . Marshall Hall, for the defence, pleaded that prisoner had been cruelly and wickedly duped, and was a mere puppet in the hands of the master mind guiding the conspiracy. Her crime was indefensible, and ho asked for leniency only with a view to the special circumstances of the caso. Mr: Justice Walton said he did not wish to mako any imputation against any particular individual in relation to tho prisoner. Ho was satisfied that she 1 was tempted to commit, perjuryi He emphasised the very serious mischief arising from tho promotion of companies for adopting and maintaining shadowy claims to' property, and from the willingness of a public, of infinite credulity to contribute money to such schemes. His Lordship commented on the institution of criminal proceedings in ■ support of such "a monstrous claim, , and added that prisoner,' acting doubtless on pressure, yielded to temptation. Her age was tho only mitigating circumstance weighing with him; otherwise, he would have imposed tho maximum sentence of soven years' imprisonment. He sentenced prisoner to four years'.