“VERY GRAVE CRIME”

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 15

“VERY GRAVE CRIME”

Man Who Offered Help

Robbed

SENTENCE ON YOUNG MAORI

Rawiri Makarika. a Maori, aged 24, of Koputaroa, sometimes known as McGregor, who robbed William Edward de Ridder of £7/10/- will: personal violence at Shannon on May 30. was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by Mr. Justice Blair, in the Supreme Court al Wellington yesterday. His Honour remarked that de Ridder had actually offered to give Makarika some money when the latter had said something to him about being hungry. Makarika had then followed de Ridder, striking him and breaking a bone in his face, and then robbing him. As far as he could see, his Honour added, de Ridder was tin- last man Makarika should have attacked, because de Ridder bad tried to help him. It was a very grave crime for which the court sometimes ordered a Hogging, and sentence must be substantial. "1 hate to see you young Maoris getting into trouble like this; it is not fair to your race,” his Honour addressed Makarika. "Sometimes it affects, in the minds of some people, the reputation of tue Maoris which, as a race, is high.” Other Cases. Norman Kenneth Sligo, a marine engineer. who obtained £62/10/- by false pretences in selling a motor-ear he was buying on hire-purchase, was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment. His Honour said he would have liked to give Sligo another chance, but he had already served a prison sentence for another type of offence. Apparently this had no effect. and the only course was to try the same thing again. Mr. J. Meltzer represented Sligo. Louis Francis Charlett. labourer, aged 23, at present serving a sentence of two years’ reformative detention lor obtaining credit by fraud, was sentenced to two years’ reformative detention, to be served concurrently, on a charge ot carnal knowledge at Nelson. His Honour said apparently surrounding circumstances subjected Charlett to some temptation. .Mr. P. S. K. Mncassey represented the Crown in all three cases.