PENALTY FOR CRIME

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1936, Page 13

PENALTY FOR CRIME

PRISONERS SENTENCED

In the Supreme Court today William Percy Mills was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour on a charge of obtaining hides and skins from a farmer by means of a false pretence. A plea for leniency on behalf of the prisoner was made by , Mr. P. Verschaffelt. . In imposing sentence, Mr. Justice Smith said that the Probation Officers' report was not favourable. He stated that the prisoner was impossible under probation, and made no effort to observe the conditions. Although the prisoner was only 24 years of age, he had a list of convictions, and it seemed to his Honour that he had embarked on a life of crime. All he could do was to impose a deterrent sentence. Thomas Hudson, on a charge of breaking and entering and theft at Eastbourne, was sentenced to reformative detention for a period not exceeding two years. His Honour said the prisoner had various minor convictions on eleven separate occasions since 1925, and it appeared that drink was his chief trouble. He had no previous convictions for dishonesty, but the Probation Officer's report was that he did not consider the prisoner the type of man who would respond to probation. His Honour said he could not in any event consider probation for an offence of that sort. He thought the prisoner needed an opportunity of getting drink out of his system and of endeavouring to reform if he could, i