A COMPLAISANT THIEF.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 825, 25 May 1910, Page 6

A COMPLAISANT THIEF.

[ SCENE IN COUBT; ; DIALOGUE WITH THE JUDGE. (Br Telecraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, Hay 24. ■ All original kind of character turned : up in the dock at the Auckland Supremo Court to-day in the person of an old man, Thomas Sheehan, with a number '_ of aliases. The ehargo was theft of a J document (an account) and 12s. in money from the dwelling of Rebecca J West, at Pukekohe, on h'ebruary 26. , When tho charge was read out and ■ [ accused was asked to register his plea, he broke into tlucnt speech, 6aying: "I J plead guilty to any mortal thing you . like to bring against me. If you brought f a charge of murder against me, I would , plead guilty, your Honour. I can't be worse than I am, and I request your j Honour to sentence me; as soon as possible, and get me away from the eyes t of the public." His Honour: Prisoner, do you know 1 what you are charged with?—"l don't 1 care what I am charged with." [ His Honour: 1 want to know if you understand tho chargo?—"No, I don't," ' His Honour repeated the indictment, j and asked prisoner how he pleaded. 1 "I am pleading guilty to everything," t promptly replied the accused. His Honour*: I won't accept that plea. [ Sfou are only asked to plead in respect ■ i to the charge of stealing a document. [ Prisoner: I plead guilty. When others > received months, I received years. Tj i have never received mercy and never - got,,.a, short sentence. I can't expect e f. short sentence from you. ! Hin Honour: No, you can't, i Prisoner was* again asked how, h» I pleaded in ; regard to.tho theft of the , document, . . "I would like to know, your Honour, i what a document is," remarked the ae- , f cased. £ His Honour: Do you know what you. i are charged with? " , Prisoner: The fact of the matter is I [ do not i His Honour refused tb_ accept the plea 1 as given, and the , evidence tendered 3 showed that tho prisoner had entered a 3 bedroom at a boardinghonse about 4 3 o'clock in the morning named in the charge, and was caught in the act of , ransacking the. pockets of a boarder ; named Jliddleton. ? Prisoner made off when seen, and was , captured by Jas. M'Ewan in an outhou&e, with tho stolen document and money in !■ his possession. The prisoner raised no defence, and the jury returned a verdict of guilty, withi gut retiring. , b .Mr. Tole stated that the prisoner had a a long list of previous convictions, start- , ing 43 years ago, and coming up to i 1909. He had started on his criminal career at the age of 20, and.kept at it - over since. Y His Honour read over a few of tho s previous sentences of three, five, and f ten years, and asKed prisoner if he adg mitted the' entries to be correct , "I espect so your Honour," he replied ; cheerfully. "I forget. Anything you 5 read out to me I will say is right." 3 Prisoner was sentenced to 12 months' 3 imprisonment, and declared an habitual s criminal. 1 = ''..'