SUPREME COURT

Grey River Argus, 23 May 1942, Page 2

SUPREME COURT

SENTENCES IMPOSED AT INVERCARGILL.

P.A. INVERCARGILL, May 22. In the Supreme Court, before Mr Justice Kennedy, to-day, William Lawrence and James Mann, who were found guilty on Wednesday of having unlawfully killed J’ohn Meagher at Makarewa on February 22, thereby committing manslaughter, appeared for sentence. Lawrence received reformative detention for one year, and Mann was released on probation for 12 months.

Addressing Lawrence, His Honour said that his counsel had done all that could be done for him, and had said all that could be said on his behalf. “By, your violence you killed your stepfather., You might well have gone away, and kept away. Though you have been provoked at one stage, you might well have stopped short of inflicting upon your stepfather such dreadful punishment.”

Referring to Mann, the Judge said that the jury recommended leniency, and he was in complete agreement with that, and proposed to give effect to it.

John Kevern, charged with failing to stop after a collision, and also with failing to ascertain if anyone were injured, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour on eacih charge, the terms to be concurrent Kevern had already served a term of imprisonment on a charge arising out of the same incident, and was deprived o£ his driving license.