THREE YEARS' GAOL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 110, 5 November 1937, Page 17

THREE YEARS' GAOL

INDECENT ASSAULT

MAORI SENTENCED

(By Telegraph—l'ress Association.) GISBORNE, This Day

Commenting that members of the Maori race would agree that their womenfolk had to be protected and adding that it was a case calling for exemplary punishment, Mr. Justice Ostler today sentenced Watarawi Tatae, alias Walter Wilson, to three years' imprisonment with hard labour for indecent assault. The evidence on which the jury convicted the accused showed that he had driven a seven-teen-year-old gir] to his whare against her will, given her a black eye, and otherwise injured her before threatening herewith a knife and frightening her into spending tKe night with him. The accused was a married man with two children, but for. some time had been living with an elder sister of the complainant. The sister was present at the time of the assault. Tieki Mauhajsa, who was convicted on nvo charges of carnal knowledge' of a girl of fourteen, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, the Judge commenting that Maori girls were entitled to the same protection as Europeans. Two other Maoris, Hohura iCukurangi and Neehi Teera, who were charged with carnal knowledge, were admitted to probation for twelve months, a condition being.that they pay the costs of the prosecution. The Judge commented that in these eases the probation officer's report was favourable and it appeared that the girls concerned were of easy virtue.