BOOKMAKER’S SENTENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 December 1936, Page 5

BOOKMAKER’S SENTENCE

MINISTER REJECTS PETITION [PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, December 18. The Minister for Justice (Hon H. G. R. Mason) has refused to release from gaol Thomas Curran, who was sentenced in Auckland on November 19 to two months’ imprisonment on a charge of keeping a common gaming house. Shortly after the hearing of the case in the Magistrate’s Court, a petition was circulated in the city, obtaining 10,000 signatures of citizens, asking that part of the sentence be remitted, so that Curran could spend Christmas in freedom. There has been considerable interest in the city about the fate of Curran, and this afternoon Curran’s solicitor (Mr. Mahoney) visited Mount 1 Eden prison and secured the permis- 1 sion of his client to make the Minister’s verdict public. Mr. Mahoney said that he had received a letter containing the Minister’s decision on December 11. The letter said, inter alia: ' "In the circumstances, I regret that ! I am unable to see my way to make any recommendation about the sentence imposed last month.” < This letter, Mr. Mahoney added, was 1 in reply to an appeal made earlier by him on behalf of his client for re- ’ consideration of the sentence in view of peculiar circumstances and of the 1 character of the man himself, 1 "I take it that this is Mr. Mason’s ! final answer,” said Mr. Mahoney. < "Whether or not this is the final dis- < position of the matter in view of the < petition, I have no information to indicate,”