A SERIOUS OFFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 38, 13 August 1921, Page 6

A SERIOUS OFFENCE

SUGGESTION FROM THE JURY

Thomas William Steel, a picture framer, formerly in business at Berhampore; was .yesterday afternoon , found guilty by, the jury at the Supreme Court on a charge of haying indecently assaulted a little girl, ten years of age. The child had gone to the shop for the purpose of obtaining a contribution to a collection list, and Steel wrongfully interfered with her. i;

His Honour Mr. Justice Beed remarked, as was reported in .yesterday's Post, that he considered, that it was most' unwise for parents to allow children to take part in street collections at all, and the jury, while bringing in a verdict of ■guilty, with a recommendation to leniency as no harm had come to the child, added a rider recommending that legislation should be introduced prohibiting street collecting by children of tender years. N Steel was before Mr. Justice Beed for sentence this morning. Mr. A. B. Sievwright,, who appeared for accused, said the crime was one regarded with the utmost repngnance, but he asked his. Honour « look upon this particular, off eniie as ,the least I serious of the type. Stedi's life ol the • past few years had been (one misfortune after another. . | . ' His Honour expressed the opinion that' the jury's verdict was justified by the facts. Although the offence was of a mild nature, he was forced to the conclusion that if the child had been of a 1 more complacent nature the indecency would not have stopped where it did. His Honour added that he was entirely unimpressed with accused's evidence in the box as to hid altruistic.love of little children. . However, these suspicions would not be allowed to influence the sentence, and full force would be given to the jury's recommendation. Steel would be sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with hard labour. ' ' •