IN THE COURTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10740, 10 November 1928, Page 2

IN THE COURTS.

EX-POLICEMEN SENTENCED

THREE,YEARS’ GAOL AND TWO YEARS’ REFORMATIVE. v

(Press Association.)

. AUCKLAND, Noy. 9. • f ln the'Buprenie Couft, serit.ences. pf .three years! gaol, ,'witli‘hard’labor, 'to be followed.by not-'less than two yearst reformative .'Yreritmeritj! -were passed upon two . ex-policemen, Tlibmas Fyancis ' Carroll, -29, and Syd,uey Francis AVaters, 33, by Mr Justice Smith. The .prisoners were found guilty of arson, arising, from the destruction of Carroll’s' shop ori the ; bight of August ,J 29 by an explosion and -firb.' Carroll,' who was also .found guilty of malting a false de'clar.ation,.regarding,itlie insurance on the burned building, was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment on ; that count, the sentence to be concurrent with that on the .major count.

His Honor said that to attain their miserable ends the prisoners brought .about destruction by fire. Fortunately, no one suffered death from their act. It .was hard to understand the jury’s recommendation to mercy; and the only reason could be that the men had previously* borne good characters, An application was lodged for the re-trial of Carroll ton the ground that the, verdict was against the weight of evidence, i THEFT BY TOAVN BOARD. CLERK DUE TO STATE OF MUDDLE. PROBATION, GRANTED JPreßs Association.) AUCKLAND. Nov. 9. Augustus Henry .Francis AVisnesky, 42, formerly clerk to the Mercer Town Board, who is also a railway signalirian, was admitted to' probation for four years, by Mr Justice Smith to-day on a charge of theft of the Town Board's money. There had been no falsification of the books and no s evidence of extravagance on. prisoner’s part, but “lie had had considerable sickness in his family. Prisoner .bad suffered b v the loss of his position with the Railway Department. “It seems to me,” said His Honor, “that you had not sufficient brains for the position of clerk, and as a result the finances of the board got into a state of. mud die. and you were unable to deal with them.” POSSESSION OF UNREGISTERED FIREARM'. IRISH IMMIGRANT TREATED LENIENTLY. (Pres* Association.) THAMES, Nov. 9. The story of how a young Irish immigrant had forced a bench full of Hikutaia, settlers to accompany him-to an hotel and have a drink at the point of a revolver was unfolded in the Thames Police Court this morning, when Andrew Bailey, 21, a Salvation Army immigrant, faced seven charges in connection with the possession of an unregistered firearm, and one of assaultAfter hearing the police story, that Bailey merely thought himself a young desperado when in drink, All Platts, S.M., convicted him on all the charges and ordered him to come up for sentence .in a year. He also prohibited accused.