CHARGE OF MURDER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 513, 21 May 1909, Page 5

CHARGE OF MURDER.

• CONNELLY FOUND GUILTY OF , MANSLAUGHTER. , TEN YEARS' IMPRISONMENT. V (Br TELEGIIU'II—IHE<i3 ISSOCUT(O\ ) i Qh,ri3tchurch, May 20. Yfestpoit myrdcr trial was continued ■to-day, Messrs, apd Stringer addressed the ivrj, and Vv> Honnu,r'a wromipg up was favourahlo to tho Crown's thoorj that Connelly was'guilty of manslaughter. Tho following issues weio suhmitted to tho jury, Tvhich retired at 533 p,m,,— (1) Is the accused guilty or not guiltj ? If "jc-s," (2} is he, of inutder, or (3) is he gniliy. of manslaughter? , (4) If joii find, him guilty 'of either, then do jqn li)id it is proved that he ' \i&& assisted, as alleged in his original written s v at«me4? ' i , '•fho jury rotumed at g59 p.m. with the ' following replies —To, No 1, Hgiiilt}." Ta No. 2, ;'not gmltj, "o! rmirdor.'* To No. 8, "gqilty of manslaughter'*, and to No- 4, "flQ'' , Tho jury added that desifed to express o, v<»r> stiong vccommmdatipn to merpj. Prisoner stated that ho was 10 years pf , Bge and had nothing to »ny ivhj sentence 1 should not ba passed on him. , r His Honour said, addressing: Connelly, after <» very cateful tual id respect to "Inch he (CppneUy) had received every assistance that he could expect from qounsel, ho had beep found guilty of manslaughter. The jury'had also found that ho .had faded to establish tho' 'defc'iice ho had "set tin .that HaHinon and Andersen had been with him, ' Cqnsidepng tho history of tho case, his Hpfl- I our"th,qught ho ought "to express his Joncprrenco with the jury on all these points, ' It had been impossible to hston te tho e\iSenca mJha caso'vithont, conjing tp tliQ eonillusion that the \erdict of the Hokitika jur\ was justified, and it was clear that tho truo account of the transitu m that disclosed in the confession which tho prEoncr had somewhat hplatedlj m az, • The, j«ry had taken a favourable, vio V of the prisoner's action in recopiinpnding hun to mercy. Thev must be asiiimcd to have found that prisoner acted pos-shly undor thp ipflnenoo of hquoi, and oortdmly anv realisation of tho eprisequenco of his brpitihtv. In viow of that and tho, nnsoner's ago, his Honour thought he ought to mve effect L to that recommendation. Nevertheless prisoner's offence had beon a, vwy senous ono indeed. Young aa **Z M 'v? 6 t<£ ]ro * d \ had a cveer of m . 9 / ,« e /P ,s m,nst inflict a substantial sentence, a sentence which tp some extent wpuJd go beyond tho one he was already soryipg, His Honour sentenced pria, OT«T to top yejrs'_ imprisonment, sentence to be concurrent with tho sentenco impos.ed theV' *Ji f ¥ 'Hf'KHWI earo and attention tpey had brought ta this voiy importont ■ ftem to tee) that their icrdict »IS ' Profio.ua vefdipt, and placed bc\ond aH rSa- &&' remoTod any stignja" at%hn« to Hallincn and Aiulrrson Tlmir no stiima to tKry &' AoaJt 1?1 th the casa m Ne] SO p. ''y '*"