CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 11657, 18 September 1901, Page 7

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

At the Napier Supreme Court yesterday the case of tohungaism against a Maori named Tokomauri, who was charged with obtaining money under false pretences, with pretending to practise witchcraft, and with having committed rape on a Maori woman, was heard, and a verdict of guilty returned on the first two counts. The prisoner was remanded to allow the probation officer to report. Charles Maxwell, charged with wounding T. S. Hewitt at Wairoa with intent to do grievous bodily harm, was found guilty and remanded for a week to allow the probation officer to report. At Timaru a farmer was charged with making a false declaration under the Land for Settlements Act on becoming an applicant for a lease-in-perpetuity allotment, the falsity relating to the quantity of land he already held. A twofold defence was offered—first, that he did not understand the requirements of the form supplied; and, secondly, that he had parted with the excess of land. Documents were produced to prove that he had parted with the land to a brother-in-law, but the prosecution, and Mr Justice Denniston in summing up, indicated to the jury that this was a sham arrangement to be carried out if accused was the successful applicant. He was successful, but the Land Board, learning that he had an excess of land, refused the lease and forfeited the deposit of £42. The jury found accused guilty, but recommended him to mercy, as he did not know the seriousness of the offence,\and on the ground of previous cood character. As to the latter, the Judge remarked that many men who will not cheat a.neighbor think little of trying to cheat the Government. Accused was fined £2O.