GUILTY OF ARSON

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 151, 23 December 1913, Page 7

GUILTY OF ARSON

OLD MAN'S EXTRAORDINARY - ACT.

James Warren Williams, who pleaded guilty in the Magistrate's Court, Palmerston North, on the 15th December, to a charge of having, on 7th December at Foxton, wilfully set fire to a fiveroomed house, the property of A. S. Paterson and Co., of Wellington, and to having on the same date set fire to and destroyed a building owned by John Death, came up before his Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) for sentence. Mr. P. S. K. Macassey represented the Crown, Mr. H. R. Cooper appeared" for the prisoner. Counsel for the defence pleaded for leniency '■ for the prisoner, who ■ was an old man of 68 and had previously borne an excellent character. He had been living with his ,wife since 1887 until last August, and on the date in question he had set alight to his wife's house, suspecting hev of infidelity since the separation. Then he set alight to his own house _ apparently with the idea of burning himself wrth it. Counsel suggested that prisoner might live with his wife again if ho was admitted to probation. His Honour said it was clear that the prisoner was not quite responsible for himself. He had tried to commit suicide, and he might, if admitted at large, d6 injury to himself, his wife, or anybody connected with him. His Honour said he could not send the prisoner to a mental hospital as he was not in such a mental condition to justify it. Prisoner would be sentenced to two years' reformative treatment. His Honour added that he would call a special meeting of the Prison's Board to consider what couJd be done in the case, which was certainly not of an ordinary character.