MANSLAUGHTER SENTENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 November 1944, Page 4

MANSLAUGHTER SENTENCE

TEN YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT.

CHRISTCHURCH, November 6. Roy Kitchener Kennedy, airman and baker, who last week was tried for the murder of Edgar Williams and was found guilty of manslaughter, with a recommendation to mergy, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour, by Mr. Justice Northcroft in the Supreme Court, this morning. On Kennedy’s behalf, Mr. C. S. Thomas appealed to the Court to give as much weight as possible to the jury’s recommendation to mercy. His Honor said that Kennedy had been properly convicted for takingthe life of the stepfather of his wife. In making its recommendation to mercy the jury had apparently accepted the prisoner’s view of his grievance with his wife, but whether his wife had given him cause for jealousy or not it was clear that Kennedy had taken a gun, apparently loaded, with the idea of frightening his wife or, at least, of disturbing the household where she was living. As a result Williams had lost his life and the responsibility for that was entirely Kennedy’s, said His Honor.