'SHOCKING RECORD'

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 85, 7 October 1941, Page 9

'SHOCKING RECORD'

CRIMES OF A YOUTH

SEVERAL ESCAPES ON LIST

FIVE YEARS' GAOL

Drunk in charge of a motor-car at sixteen, four escapes from Borstal and one from custody, thirty-one previous convictions, most of them for unlawful conversion of cars, and now an admission of nineteen charges of breaking and entering and theft and four of breaking and entering with intent. This was the record of Patrick James Bennett, a porter, aged 20, who appeared for sentence in the Supreme Court today. The Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), who described the record as shocking, sentenced Bennett to two years' hard labour on each of the twentythree charges, to be followed by three years' reformative detention. Mr. A. M. Cousins, who appeared for the prisoner, said it was quite clear that from a very early age Bennett had lacked a sense of responsibility. He started to get into difficulty at sixteen and had been confined in a.number of institutions. Apparently as soon as he was sent to an institution he would get out, and on numerous occasions he had been charged with that offence. He appeared to have settled down for a time, arid was married at the beginning of this year. There was a recurrence of consumptive trouble, and when the doctor said he was unable to work he started a series of deliberate breakings into houses, and stole money wherever he, could get it. There had --been nothing, however, of a vicious nature, such as assault.. Bennett was the father of a two weeks' old baby. NOT IN NEED. His Honour said an Englishman's home would not be his castle if that kind of thing continued. Twenty homes or more had been invaded by the prisoner and property stolen, and he had no doubt that in some cases it was the property of poor people. It could not even be suggested that he had committed the offences under the spur of necessity. His Honour said Bennett had started by" converting a motor-car, and was intoxicated, at the age of 16, in charge of a car. In March of 1938 there was unlawful conversion (two charges), theft, and breaking and entering and theft, for which the prisoner was sent to Borstal for a year. There tollowed two charges of unlawful conversion, three of theft, and one of breaking and entering and theft, for which the sentence was two years' Borstal detention. On another charge of theft a year was apparently added to the Borstal sentence. The prisoner escaped from Borstal, but was captured and returned. He escaped from custody and was convicted on one charge of conversion and four charges of theft. Within a month he again escaped from Borstal and while at liberty converted another car. He escaped once more, committed theft and converted two more cars, and four months afterwards escaped again. While away he committed theft and converted a car, and after that there were three charges of unlawful conversion. "It is a very shocking record for a young fellow of your age, or for anyone . else, for that matter,", said his Honour. "It is no use sending you to Borstal.again; you don't, appear to stay-there: when you are-sent, and it does not seem to have done you any good." ■ : • . His Honour then, imposed sentence and added: "You had better be careful, because, young as you are and however distasteful it is to a Judge to have to declare a young man an habitual criminal, you "are now warned that if you come before the Court again the question of declaring you an habitual criminal will ho doubt receive serious consideration."

> Mr. W. R. Birks appeared for the Crown.