WEBSTER SENTENCED

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 22, 20 October 1944, Page 3

WEBSTER SENTENCED

Forced Signature Of Document

Sentence of three years’ imprisonment .With hard labour was imposed by Mr. Justice Blair in the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday on Walter Roy Webster, who appeared following his conviction in the Supreme Court on the charge that on Apri) 27 last/with intent io defraud, lie compelled ’Terence Francis Reilly, by the threat that he would employ- violence, to sign a document in order that it might afterward be converted into, or used, or dealt with as a valuable security. When asked if he hud anything to say as to why sentence should not be passed ou him, prisoner said that since be had previously applied for sentence to be deferred he had been able to obtain information about certain matters, and an application for a new trial would be' lodged in u day or two. His Honour: You have a right to apply, and the fact that sentence hns been Passed will make no difference to the application. I intend to proceed. His Honour said he hud to assume that the verdict, of the jury was qorrect in spite of the fact that oue of the reasons urged by prisoner for the new trial was that the verdict was against tlie weight of evidence. The offence of which prisoner had been convicted was looked ou in the criminal law as a very grave one indeed. Section 165 of the A.et under which the indictment was laid allqwed sentence of imprisonment with hard .labour for life, but a sense of perspective must not be lost. One could conceive of very serious types of offence under the section. “The evidence showed that your offence was deliberate,” his Honour said, "and your threats continued for a matter of hours. As a result you got several documents executed." Sentence was then imposed, the term of one year’s imprisonment already being served by prisoner on a second charge arising from the circumstances to be concurrent with the longer term.