SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 268, 6 August 1920, Page 8

SUPREME COURT

YESTERDAY'S CRIMINAL CASES A SERIOUS OFFENCE The criminal sessions of the Supremo Court were continued yesterday. Mr. Justice Chapman presided. ' . , Mr. P. S. K. Jlacassey appeared for tile Shades Eric Walden, for whom Mr. T. if. Wilford appeared, pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted rape. Mr. MAcaisey. said evidence would ho RU. to show that" accused accompanied the complainant home ou'thei night of June 17. The complainant was a housemaid. When she entered the gate of.> her . employer» ! premises in Boulcott .accusou at* tempted to rape her. Bh'o screamed for help and assistance came. After hw arrent i accused s»iid to tho constable. This is what booze does for, a man. Ive been a j— fool. I can sco myself getting seven years for this." , .After the evidence for the prosecution had been heard, accused' entered the wit-ness-box and declared iliat the girl was a consenting party and screamed only when she believed that he and she were in danger of discovery. The .iury found the prisoner guilty "I indecent assault. Sentence was deferred. WATERSIDER CHARGED WITH THEFT. Gordon Davles, who was defended by Mr. 11. P. O'Lcary, pleaded not guilty to several charges ot tlintt. ■ was alleged to hate stolen a fairly largo number of articlcß from the cargo of vessels on which ho had been. employed as a waterside worker, ilr. Jlacassey said that Detective Tricklebauk visited accused's liousc, rnado a search ■ there,' and found the articles mentioned In the indictment. The goods would-no identified as tlio property of various local importers.

Ileprcscntatives of the firms of Bond ana Co., Binj*, Harris an'i Co. George Doughty and Co., Wright and Witt, and the Union Steam Ship' Company were among the witnesses called by the Crown.

A statement made by the accused to Dctective Tricklebauk was read' to the Court. In that statement. Davles claimed to have purchased some of the goods found in his possession. Quite a few. of tho articles, he said, ho knew nothing about. Mr. O'Leary called witnesses to account item by item for the accused's possession of the goods.

A little girl, Davies's niece, said that she hod been staying with, the accused. In the presence of the jury, she claimcd a pair of black shoes as hers. After she had tried the shoes on and walked in them Mr. Macassoy said he was prepared to regard accused's possession of tlicm as satisfactorily accounted for. ■

Accused's wife identified an purchases of hers a number of articles which the acoused in his statement to the police hart professed to know nothing of. Some 21 yards of silk she said she had bought for 4s. lid. a yard,: with the object of hn.viug a costume and bouses'made. A pair of suede shoes produced had . been bought by Davies for his sister in I'icton. Ifnlf-a-mizen stainless knives froin which the ."Hag" brand of the Union Steam Ship Companv was.statcd to have been era6od were bought at an auction sale.

I In cross-examining Mrs. Davies, counsel for the prosecution invited her to explain I uilserepanoies between a statement slie i had mado to the police and tho evidence .she was giving the Court. 1 Witness replied that she was so flustered 'WnC" the police interviewed her that she did not know what she said. "X just said anything that came Into my head at the time," she asserted. "I was confusod and couldn t remember. , Jn his address to the jury Mr. O'Leary submitted that the Crown had raised no more than a suspicion against tho accusedand a mere suspicion would not bv anv • means warrant a conviction. i At 5.20 p.m. His Honour announced that h® would sum up this morning, 10 am C '° Urt WaS aceor(lillBly adjourned till , DUNEDJTCASES By Telegraph—Press Assooiation. i„ c, Dunotlin, August 5. In the Supreme Court to-day Helen i SJCBffj ° n thP charge of performing an illegal operation on Hose Williams, was found guilty, with a strong recommendation for mercy. Sentence was deferred J.nomas Uriee was found guilty of assault, ing a man with a knife so as to cause him actual bodily harm. The jury added that the offence was committed under ereat i provocation. His Honour imposed a K of £20. Matthew Hamilton Barne* as found guilty of theft from a dwelling beiKeuee was deferred until to-morrow morning. "("now

The charge of murder aginßt John Sharp will bo taken to-morrow. It is unders ood that, mcdical testimony on the question of the insanity of accused will uru the evidence for the de-