SUPREME COURT

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1936, Page 7

SUPREME COURT

WELLINGTON SENTENCES “KNIFE ATTACKS” APPEAL [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, February' IS. The following prisoners were sentenced to-day, by Judge Smith: — Thomas Hudson, breaking, entering and theft, reformative detention not exceeding two years. Perch Mills, obtaining hides and skins by false pretences, two years” hard labour. Erie John Jones, obtaining goods by false pretences, also breaking, on--tering an dtheft, reformative detention not exceeding three years. John Gage Leckie, bigamy, three years’ probation. Lala Parchhotan, negligent driving of a motor vehicle, thereby causing death, three years’ imprisonment, and suspended from driving for two years.

Sentence was deferred in the case of James Logie, cpnvicted in respect of kknife attacks in the city, to enable an appeal to be made to the Appeal Court on the Judge’s ruling against the application by prisoner’s counsel to remove questions of law regarding the inadvisability of certain police evidence, to the Court of Appeal. The prisoner was admitted to bail pending the hearing, which should take place early next month.

.AGENT’S THEFT. DUNEDIN, February 12. 1 Leslie David Woolf/ insurance agent, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court, to theft of £2378, the property of the Australian Alliance Assurance Company. He was remanded till Friday for sentence. MOTORIST CONVICTED. DUNEDIN, February 11. A verdict of guilty on the major count was returned in the Supreme Court to-night by the jury in a case in which Leslie Raymond West was charged with causing the death of a yuoth while driving a motor car, in a state of intoxication.

The jury left the court at 3.55 p.m., and, with the exception of a short interval at 5.40 p.m., when it returned to make a request of Mr. Justice' Kennedy, the jury did not appear until 9.40 p.m. West was remanded until to-morrow for sentence. West was charged that, on October 20j while in charge of a. motor vehicle, death of William Eric Johnson, motor as an act or omission, he caused the cyclist, and bodily injury to Edward' Noah Hayward, pillion .rider, and that, through negligence, he caused’ the death of Johnson, and bodily injury to Hayward. INSURANCE CLAIM. WELLINGTON, February 11. At the Supreme Court, Thomas John Lucinsky and Herbert Miller Duncan were charged with conspiring to defraud the National Insurance Company of £625; and also with attempting to obtain money by false pretences. The Crown alleged that the accused had deliberately planned, and had, an accident by which Lucinsky, who owned a motor car, should run into Duncan, who was to make a claim on the insurance company for any injuries received. Evidence was given by Molly Erica Findlay, a domestic servant, that Lucinsky told her that the accident was only a put up affair to get money from the insurance company. Witness said that she told them not to be too sure of getting money, because the police were inquiring into the matter. Counsel for the accused contended that there was no evidence for a jury which would entitle them to convict. After a retirement of two hours, a verdict of not guilty was returned.