NO SEXUAL CASES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20859, 11 August 1942, Page 2

NO SEXUAL CASES

“SOME SATISFACTION" CRIME IN DISTRICT HIS HONOUR’S COMMENT Despite the serious nature of three cases brought before the grand jury at the Gisborne 1 Supreme Court session. \yhich. opened, to-day, Mr Justice Johnst’oii- found somh satisfaction in' the absence of some types of cases, notably those of the sexual type and of breaking grid enter,ing._ IrTfiis to 1 the grand jury, his. Honour solid two of-.the cases related to dangerous driving, one in regard to a motor' cycle and the other in respect to a car driven so negligently that injury was caused to a third"person. ' The case in which two people were jointly charged, it was alleged that-.,they..were.driving a ear they had- wi'Qhgly converted. The third, indictment was one of attempted murder, by .a young man. against a young masai and a l , girt, on a farm. All cases concerned injury to persons. “I do not know that one can ray that- the district shows any general inereriste- Irt 1 crime, despite the seriousness Qf the . i.ndiotnjents," said his-Honour. "I think there is some satisfaction' to be galired from the fact that, thero is an. absence here- of any sexual' offendes.wh'icji, in.my'.opinion, figure'cT'fob’ largely in the calendar of this- d-ist-riet', particularly among members of. the. Maori. race..” No Black-out Offcliccs He: hoped that, the previous punishments had had their effect and trusted it would be a permanent cessation of that type of crime. It was also pleasing to- • -think-- that, ; ift- \Htew of the blackout there were. . n Q cases of attempted' M’oVking' rind frittering. His, HonourythOhgyUsiat,>ifej district as a whole ha'd" some cause for congratulation on the absence,'of some forms of crime at least: ■ ' Frorn'ClheC .depositions-', he did not think that the cases to come before the.-.grand-, jury • would,- copse them much'"ti i 6'dble',' ;fof theTe' appteared to bei sufficient evidence- in- the'- dangerous' driving- case.* to place the accused <ftr trial', while ih' the attempted murder case', 4A9 evidence appealed to be in the, one' way*, it- being,-, quite clear that, the people- were shot at and injured by- the acCus.etl. In the case -against 1 Tiri Tipuna the indictment showed .that the accused drove a rffdfof-c'ybTe and caused injury to Renata Huihui at Tokomarti Bay and’ also;""failed to stop.' ~Thb accident, which took place not far from the - accused’s house', wa's not seen ’by- anyone, but' there wap evidence from' several people who' noticed' the accused’.', driving at an excessive pace about the time Of the' accident, and the motor-cycle afterwards showed marks of having: been involved in ah accident. - ■ ■ Motor-Collision Crisc Thq motor-car collision; cas'q-includj-ed charges, of ,cohygrsion, negligent drivipg, aria running down, Thomah Hall, an old man who was being wheeleclin a chair. . It ;> was. alleged that/ the. accused took off one of-., thb numbers',on. the number plates. Both of the, yriilng men Charged Were serving ih the ■ armed- forces-, and - on e waS absent* without leaVe: There was a dispute ao to wh'o was 1 driving the call, bifti- from - the evidence it appeared that both of the* accused were driving at* - difTeferiF times'. There' appeared to his Honour > ' evidence to place tne accusbd on trial. In the atteijuifesh murder charged, the evidence was all clear and unconj-tradiCtbd.-.Klt was alleged that the accused took a shotgun from a bed|room and waited for lan Fraser, whom the- accusedshot at and also shot at Margaret Fraser. A statement attributed" - ; to the accused that he did- riot' kriovr why he did the shooting was- a matter of defence and did not concern the grand jury. Ijt was not likely that a plea of insanity would- be preferred iiri this -case, although,' Of cbu'rsd, Iris Honour did Inot know anything about the defence, but if there were it would be a inatiter for the’common"jury. The following grand jury wap called: Percy R. Muir, foreman, Sydh ney P. Sheppard. Sydney T. Mosp, Alfred J. l GoW- Coopeit, Douglas J. Duncan, Frank Williams, Henry: B._ Driurimoricl,,, George I}. Blogg, Charles H. Bull, Ralph Q. Bull,; HsSrold'.F. Wise, .Charles, S.. Bulllock, Stanley D. Nathan, Cyril A. •Mackley, Alfred: D. BCslieti-Reginald C. Piesse, Basil R. Adair,- -William H. Stratton; Ahthiiri : li£b NfcholTS} ’.Walter R. P. Baigent, Benito Geo. Morris, William G.. F. Bignell.