SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 282, 22 August 1908, Page 3

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS.

CHRISTCHURCH ROBBERY CASES. (by TELEORArn—rriESS ASSOCIATION.) Cirlctchurch, August 21. At tho Supremo Court this morning, before his Honour Mr. Justico Denniston, Joseph Johnston, aged twenty-five, Frank Bolton, aged twenty-two, and James Keegan, aged nineteen, wero brought up for sentence on various convictions of robbery undor arms, and breaking and entering. _ In sentencing Johnston, his Honour said: "You havo been convictcd in four cases of robbery from tho person v/hilo bearing arms, or in other words robbery under arms. You havo also beeii convicted in two cases of burglary. If you had been convicted for robbery alono I might have looked upon your offences as less serious, and but for the fact that ono of you actually fired upon a man I would have looked upon tho bearing of arms as merely a piece of bravado, and not as a serious attempt to uso weapons. Could it havo been ascertained which man used tho weapon, that man would havo been charged with a much more serious charge." Mr. Russell, Crown Prosecutor, said that in fairness to tho accused ho must mention that in tho case of Mathers, which had not como before the Court, no fire-arms had been used, although Mathers resisted tho accused. His Honour said that tho use of fire-arms at all was a serious thing, and should be so treated. In addition to the robbery charges, thero wero two' cases of burglary. Johnston had unfortunately a very bad record, notwithstanding his age. Ho knew nothing about-the earlier years of Johnston's life, but ho, had evidently becomo a criminal early. Johnston was liable under tho recent Act to be treated as an habitual criminal, and dealt with as such. Looking at his comparative youth, however, his Honour said ho folt reluctant to put the prisoner , in a position which would leave it to the discretion of the Executive to treat him practically as a criminal for life, but even eliminating as far as possible tho weapon from the caso it was a case for a substantial sentence. Should Johnston be convictcd of any crime in future he might be absolutely certain that tho greater paH of tho rest of his life would be spent unc ! :r restraint. _In sentencing Johnston to five years' imprisonment, ho was treating him with great leniency in the hope that tho weight of tho threat hold out against him would deter him from further crime. He sentenced Bolton,to four years'imprisonment, and Keegan to twelve months' imprisonment, the sentences on each chargo to run concurrently; , On the application of Mr. .Russell, his Honour made an order for the pro rata division among those who had been robbed of £4 15s. lOd. found in tho possession of tho prisoners. , ■ William Bell, aged twenty-eight, . was brought up for sentence on a chargo of breaking and entering and theft to which ho had pleaded guilty at the Lower Court. His Honour said tho case did not appear to be a very serious one. The [accused would bo sentenced to sis months' imprisonmont. DIVORCE COURT. (BY TELEGIUrn—rtIESS ASSOCIATION.) , Duncdin, August 21. In the Divorce Court, in Stuart v. Stuart, wife's, petition on ground of desertion, a decree nisi was grantod.