OFFENCES AGAINST CHILDREN

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 41, 17 August 1916, Page 2

OFFENCES AGAINST CHILDREN

TO THS EDITOR. . Sir,—Your last night's leader on this subject stimulates me to write putting forward some aspects of these wretched cases, which may be new to many of the public. The Grand Juries of Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland have done their duty manfully in making certain recommendations, and no doubt .the Judges are prepared to do theirs' if convictions ' arc secured. And that is just the great^ difficulty of the police in these cases. The creatures who waylay small children and commit, or attempt to commit, sexual offences, or who expose themselves to children, are suffering from a moral lesion (incurable), and no doubt are fitting inmates of a place of restraint for mental cases; but such people are extremely cv ruling, and only attack young and defenceless children, generally when by themselves, in lonely places; hence, the difficulty of securing evidence. In some cases the offender is probably well kuown to the police and badly wanted by them on these charges, but hard to catch. Parents are often lacking in public spirit sufficient to stimulate them to go into Court, and often prefer, for the child's and their own sakes, to hush the matter up, declining outright to assist the police by giving evidence. A .child's evidence and identification is often all that the defenders [of law , and decency have to put up against a cleverly-faked alibi, put forward by an eloquent lawyer before a 1 none too intelligent common jury, who are unwilling to convict on the child's identification, although children are known to be keener observers of dress and feature than most grown-ups. Again, although the Crown may have strong evidence and damning police reports against the past conduct and character of a scoundrel who has been brought to book on one particular offence, they are debarred from bringing forward a scrap of such evidence, as it is not absolutely germane to the particular case on which they are prosecuting. They are all "weak" cases from a lawyer's point of view. On the other hand, the moral leper, who may, by the way, be quite a respectable member of the community in everyday life, can bring forward hosts of witnesses as to character, habits, etc.j ami nine times out of ten ! triumphantly prove an alibi, and get off. Can more be said? But these are all | facts, and the police will tell yon form the underlying reason why such cases are j becoming so prevalent in New Zealand.

The only cure is to amend the law and to give the Crown wider powers in adducing evidence, and have all such cases tried by special juries, or, better still, by a tribunal of three Judges. Then, when convictions are obtained, use the "cat " liberally, and, where needed, surgical treatment. Severe physical pain is tho only thing that will appeal to creatures of this kind. Imprisonment is no deterrent whatever. It is now for the parents of New Zealand to take this matter up with the Government and insist on protection for their children. The Labour Representation Committee has taken the first st-ep, and all honour ■ to them. But what is the use 01 women police? They cannot be everywhere at once and at all times of the day, and if they could, what, again, is the use when the law, as typified in the jury system, refuses to convict? The present state of the law in these cases is a direct incite.- ---[ ment to aggrieved parents to "deal it out " themselves if'they are lucky enough ! to catch the offender. Wake up, parents! Yonr children are not safe! It may be your child's turn to-morrow! —I am, etc-, FATHER, 16tli August.