SUPREME COURT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue LXXVI, 1 July 1908, Page 7

SUPREME COURT.

PRISONERS SENTENCED.

A STABBING AFFRAY. In the Supreme Court to-day, two prisoners came before Mr. Justice Cooper for sentence. A sentence of three years' imprisonment was imposed on a young foreigner named Joseph Zimmerman, who had pleaded guilty to having done actual bodily harm to AthoJ Zani, a member of the crew of the steamer Jessie Burns. Mr. Levi appeared for the prisoner, and said the offence was the outcome of a drunken row amongst the sailors on board the vessel. Prisoner was very drunk at the time, and although pleading guilty to the offence, ho had no recollection of having used a knife. The crew, counsel explained, included a wide range of nationalities. Prisoner was struck over the head with a chimney off a stove, and no doubt was excited and dazed when he committed the act. Two other members of the crew were charged with the offence, but the informations were dismissed owing to the insufficiency of evidence. Counsel then went on to ask his Honour to look at the matter more in the nature of a drunken row. His Honour \ said prisoner had not only pleaded guilty to assault, doing actual bodily harm, but to the intent, which made the case very much worse. This was not a case of a drunken row j prisoner had stabbed the informant ten times, one of the wounds penetrating the lungs, the offence being committed some time after he had been assaulted. The case was one which must be punished with some severity. All the men seem to have been under the influence of liquor ; this conduct must be put a stop to. Prisoner would be sentenced to three years' imprisonment with hard labour. AN INDESIRABLE. Theft and false pretences at Ormondville was the nature of the offences to which a young man named Ernest Wehrstedt pleaded guilty. His Honour observed that it was unfortunate that a man of accused's youth should commit so many offences of dishonesty. His Honour said he noticed that so far as this colony was concerned, the offences had all been commitled within 'the last twelve months. Prisoner would be sentenced upon the series of charges to two years' imprisonment from the present time. That meant a slight increase 1 upon the sentences he was now serving. His Honour treated all the offences as having been committed practically about the same time.