SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 201, 19 May 1908, Page 3

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

(BY TELEGRAPH. —PREBB ASSOCIATION.) ' FLOGGING RECOMMENDED BY GRAND JURY. Auckland, May 18. Of the twenty-six cases , sot down for trial at the criminal sessions, which opened today, no fewer than nine involved charges of indecent assault upon children mostly of tender years. The Grand Jury, after throwing but ono case and returniug true bills in the remaining eight, presented a rider viewing with apprehension the'large number of cases of this kind, and recommended flogging in any sentence that might be inflicted. ■ \ : His. Honour: I do not know what to do, with these peoplo. Mr. Daw (foreman): It-is, pitiful to see theso little children in Court. His Honour: Absolutely shocking. Do you think flogging will stop this offence? Mrr Daw: If you give them enough of it. , ' His Honour: I daresay you are right.' At ' all events, ' it' can bo, tried where they deserve it. 'At the Supreme Court to-day, before ,Mr. Justice Edwards, John Chappell, who pleaded ;guilty to a criminal assault on a girl under the ago of 15, was sentenced to twelve months' hard labour. Tane Horore Tango and . John Baker, two Native lads, aged 17. and 15 year's respective]}', on a charge of '.breaking, entering, and theft at 'Kaikohe, pleaded that: it' was 'their'first, offeiice I ,'arid! applied for. probation. His Honour admitted both I.to probation for one year. Both were ordered to pay the . costs'of , prosecution. Henry Herbert, . a Maoris charged with . 'steal-, ing a portmanteau containing about £16' worth of clothes from ,the. scow Herald, was found guilty, and remanded for sentenco. Karl Hellstrom, a Swede, about 26 years of age, was found guilty of stealing forks and spoons and two rugs from the steamer Gaspard in Kaipara Harbour, arid was also remanded for sentence. • •: ,

CHRISTCHURCH SESSIONS. Christohuroh, May 18. - ' , The criminal sessions of the Supremo Court opened this morning, before Mr. Justice Denniston. His Honour,. in charging the Grand' Jury, said that thero was a somewhat extensive calendar for the sittings. There were somo nineteen charges against the same number of accused, in . addition to a few cases with which tho Grand Jury had not to deal. Several' of tho cases were some-, what, serious, but as far as the Grand Jury were concerned, he did not think that many of the cases would give much trouble. Hi's Honour then referred in. detail to tho different cases on the list. Dealing with the charge of manslaughter • against Dr. ' Diamond, arising out of a motor-car collision, His Honour said that the facts were simple. The doctor was called at 10 p.m. by a Mr Merrett to go at once to his wife. He got into his car, and drove tho husband out along tho Lincoln Road, and in tho courso of that journey he came into collision with a tramcar. The result was that the husband was killed and the accused injured. Manslaughter depended on negligence, and in the present caso the negligence alleged was the careless or reckless driving and management of the motor-car.' It was, of course, the duty of every parson who drove a vohiclo on a public road to have and to exercise reasonable skill and care. The ■doctor was going as fast as ho possibly could to his patient, but that was] not in itself an answer, because an excessive degree of speed would not be justified because the object of it was good. A man must consider his duty to the public. It was clear that in a sense the affair was accidental, but the jury would have, to say whether the evidence disclosed negligenco oil which a petty jury might reasonably convict. Subsequently, the Grand Jury brought in no bill against Dr. Diamond.

. At the Supreme... Court to-day, Ronald Grant Gilbert, aged 17J, who pleaded, guilty in'the Lower Court to a charge of housebreaking, was brought up for sentence. ' His Honour said-lie would make a recommendation committing the accused to a reformatory till ho attained the age of 21. Frank Sales, a young man, was charged 'with having entered a house on November 3, 1907,'. and stolen an opal ring and other jewellery and money, and on a further charge with having, received an opal ring, knowing that the same had been dishonestly obtained. Accused had been granted a retrial by tho Court of Appeal. The Acting Crown Prosecutor said no further evidence was available, and a formal verdict of not guilty was returned. Georgo Barnes, was charged on threo counts with stealing at Christchurch, on. the night of February-6 (tho date of tho extensive fire in Christchurch), a roll of tweed valued at £19, the property of Gott Bros.; a quantity of jewellery, fancy goods,' etc., valued at £52, the property of H. Oakey; and one overcoat, a pair of trousers, and a quantity of tweed, valued at £13 65., the property of tho Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company; also on threo counts of receiving those goods knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. Mr. T. C. Russell appeared for the Crown. Ho pleaded guilty, and wii3 sentenced to six months. John Leslie Brown was charged with striking his wife, Isabella Brown, with his fist and dashing her to tho ground at Alford Forest Road, near Ashburton, on January 3, 1908, thereby causing her actual bodily harm, and on a further charge with assaulting tho said Isabella Brown on tho same dato. Accused was acquitted. William Evans was convicted on two charges of breaking, entering, and_ theft in Ashburton district, and was arraigned on a third when' the : Court adjourned. .