FLOGGING ORDERED

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 107, 2 November 1926, Page 10

FLOGGING ORDERED

AND LONG SENTENCE IMPOSED

PRISONERS BEFORE SUPREME COURT.

Prisoners wero sentenced at the Supromo Court to-day.

In regard to John Henry Wall, who was found guilty of rape, Mr. J. F. R. Wallace, who appeared for the prisoner, said that Wall had been on a drinking bout prior to committing the crime, and he asked his Honour to extend such leniency as he could.

In passing sentence, his Honour (Mr. Justico MacGregor) said that tho prisonev had been found guilty of a crime on a respectable married woman. While the prisoner was in Australia he had been, convicted of numerous offonees. Ho came to .New Zealand at the end of 1923, and between 1924 and 1925 was convicted six times, and, finally, at Wellington, on l&th December, 1925, he had boeu sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment with hard labour for horse-stealing and theft. After serving nine.months of that sentence, he was liberated at Auckland by t'.j Prisons Board on license, and inado subject to a probation order. Ho then apparently came direct to Wellington, and went to live in an hotel at Petono, where ho evidently took to drink, and committed the grave crime of which he now stood convicted. The maximum punishment for rape was imprisonment with hard labour for life, and a* flogging, once, twice, or thrice. His Honour said it was his clear duty to impose a severe penalty for the prisoner's brutal crime. Respectable women had to be protected from men of the prisoner's type, who were really not fit to bo at large. His Honour sentenced the prisoner to imprisonment with hard labour for ten years, and ordered a flogging of fourteen strokes, to be given on the gaol surgeon's certificate. FORGERY AND FALSE PRETENCES. Leslie Johnson appeared for sentonco before the Chief Justico for forgery and falso pretences, Mr. A. W. Blair, who appeared for the prisoner, pointed out that nobody actually sustained any los 3 by-reason of his offenco, and, in tho witness box, he had not attempted to misrepresent the position. He had been short of cash, and had adopted these illegitimate means of borrowing money. His Honour said that the prisoner had not been convicted before, and had made restitution. He felt he was justified in not inflicting imprisonment, but some punishment would have to be inflicted, and some disciplinary control put over the prisoner for a poriod. On the second count, f-alse pretences, the prisoner was fined £50, £25 to be paid within one month, and the remainder to be paid within two months, in default nine months' imprisonment. In addition, ho was admitted to probation for two years on the usual conditions. On the first count, forgery, t 9 prisoner was admitted to probation for two years. Yesterday afternoon, before his Honour the Chief Justice, Joseph Michael M'Grath, an electrician, aged 42, was sentenced to two years' hard labour for forgery and uttering.