ATTEMPTED MURDER

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 184, 3 May 1934, Page 11

ATTEMPTED MURDER

Twelve Years’ Imprisonment With Hard Labour “PREMEDITATED ATTACK” Twelve years’ imprisonment with hard labour was the sentence imposed yesterday by Mr. Justice Reed in the Supreme Court on James Conroy Murphy, found guilty of the attempted murder of Mrs. Daisy Heimbel on April 2 on the Wellington Town Belt. “You are fortunate that your victim did not die, for if she had there would be uo question of manslaughter, and you would have had to suffer 'the extreme penalty,” his Honour remarked. A plea on behalf of prisoner was made by his counsel, Mr. A. B. Croker, who asked for the utmost leniency consistent with justice. So far us the crime wa£ concerned, he said, there was no excuse to offer, but he would,like to draw attention to the fact that this was the first occasion on which prisoner had been before the court since he was 15 years old. For the past 27 years lie had been ah industrious, honest, clean-living citizen. During his trial prisoner had resolutely kept out of the case the name of an innocent third party, and had stated that on no account must the name be bandied about the court. “You have been very properly convicted of attempted murder . . ..” said his Honour to the prisoner in passing sentence. “It was a premeditated attack, for you secured the necessary weapons, and you went out with the woman with the intention that, should she not agree with your request,, you would kill her; and when you left her you thought you had killed her. The least sentence I can impose is twelve years’ imprisonment with hard labour.”