SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 71, 17 December 1919, Page 10

SUPREME COURT

A PEST TO SOCIETY

"SUNNY JIM'S" BAD RECORD Fivo prisoners who had pleaded guilty, to various offences camo up for seutonco i:i tlie Supreme Court yesterday morning before His Honour Mr. Justice l! d wards. Walter Henry Newman, known as "Sunny Jim" by his bar-room associates, pleaded guiltv in tlio Magistrate's Court, Wellington, to the theft of .£5 from the pewon of John Christie. The facts were I hat on January SO last Christie was in the bar of the New Zealandcr Hotel and when paying for a drink produced a roll of-notes. Suddenly they were matched from his hand, but he retained a fragment of a £1 Bank of Australnsia noli) which provided tho duo to the culprit. In sentencing tho prisoner His Honour said the man's record was a very bad one. "You have a shocking' record," remarked His Honour. "You have seventeen previous convictions and they show that you are a pest, to society, for you have l>ecn convicted of being n rogue and a vagabond." Apart from these convictions of being a roguo and n vagabond tho prisoner had been convicted of theft from tho person of a inm who had been kind to him. Tho prisoner asked for leniency on tho ground that 1h was drunk when he committed the offence. His Honour said: "Drunkenness is a voluntary act, and if von find that you commit crimes when you arc drank it is your duty to keep sober." The urisoner was recently sen(encod to a term of imprisonment, to, bo followed by three years' reformative treatment, and this had not expired. His Honour consequently ordered the prisoner to be detained for reformative treatment for a of fom " y enrs "

BREAKING AND ENTERING. T,awrie Davits, who had pleaded guilty at' Wanganui tn two charges of breaking and entering, had a record. When. a hoy ho was convicted of theft and sent to'Burnham. ■ In 1917 he was convicted on three charges of theft and sentenced to reformative treatment, and not lonfj after his release lie was again wmvioted of theft and sentenced to a. term of imprisonment. His Honour prised a. sentence of one year e .imprisonment, to he followed l>y detentron for four years for reformative treatment.

FOEGTNG RECEIPTS. A youth named Norman Davis, who had pleaded guilty in Nn.nier, to two charges of forsring, was the next to appear in the dock. The prisoner forged two receipts for money payable to returned soldiers, the amount involved being £«l 13s. <kl., which in his written statement he offered to refund. Adrtrcssin» tho prisoner His Honour said: Well, prisoner, you made one lapse some time ago, but you went to tho front, and wero passed, and you ash for probation on. that account." His Honour commented on the serious character of the offence and said ho was reluctant to a voting man to gaol. Davis was nned \m which included the £21 13s 4d., and ho is to remain in prison until arrangements are made for the payment of the moncv. which is to ho deducted from tho gratuity duo to him.

THEFT OF A POSTAL PACKET. Mr H. P. O'Learv appeared for a youth namcl John Clifford Zimmerman, who had pleaded guilty at Woodvillo to the theft of a postal packet, also to opening a por,inl packet. On behalf of tho prisoner Mr. O'Loary said that unforhinntolv the case was not ono recommende'l for probation. The prisoner was a little over 10 years ot age, and his previous lapses were when no was 12 or 13 rears of age. The lad was not employed'in the Pest Office,, but was working i'n a stable the proprietor of which had the contract for tho rural delivery of letter.* and tho lad was entrusted with the delivery- He opened one letter and abstracted .£2, but the second letter he opened contained no monov. On the three occasions, that the ljov had been before the .Tuvomlo Court he had been very leniently dealt with, nnd counsel was of the opinion that had some restrictions placed upon him nnd the boy made to feel that he could not escape punishment for VTW-doine, he might not now be; in Court. The lad's father was anxious to apprentice him to a trado and ot nlnciw? him under strict supervision. His Honour said ho could not overlook breaches of the Post Office Act with regard to tho theft of letters Postal matter entrusted to the Post Office imist bo safe, beeatiso if letters were stolen tho greatest injury might be done to somo people. His Honour said ho would not send the lad to prison, and imposed a fine of £W, the prisoner to remain in custodv until tho amount was paid, but the period must not exceed six months. A YEAR'S IMPRISONMENT. William John Smith, who pleaded inulty at Waver! ev to tho theft of a horse, saddlo and bridle, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with hard, labour. There were two previous convictions against the prisoner-one at Auckland and the other at Chrtstchureb.. Tho prisoner stole the horse from a man who had treated him well. His Honour took into consideration tho tact that the prisoner went to the front.