COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 23 January 1943, Page 3

COURT NEWS

PRISONERS SENTENCED. j WELLINGTON, Jan. 22. Five prisoners who had pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to various offences, came up for sentence in the Supreme Court before the Chief Justice (Sir Michael For shopbreaking at Blenheim, Ronald Gordon Mac Alister. 42, cook and draper, was sentenced to 12 months’ reformative detention, his Honour remarking,.that he was letting the prisoner off lightly in view of the fact that! at the age of 20 he had received what appeared to be a heavy sentence for a first conviction, this possibly having influenced the prisoner towards crime.

A remand for a further week was ordered in the case of John Andrew Hislop, 19i, a soldier, on charges of breaking and entering, His Honour saying that he wanted further information, ion certain aspects of the case.

For burglary at Nelson, Frederick George Lester, ship’s fireman, aged 36, was sentenced to 15 months’ reformative 'detention, His Honour remarking that probation was out of the question in view of.the prisoner’s list of previous convictions, probation having been granted twice before. “It is a blot upon our modern conditions that a little girl cannot walk along the street without being molested; such offences cannot be permitted with impunity,’’ said His Honour in reference to a young soldier from Nelson who had indecently assaulted a small girl. In the interests of society and of th e prisoner himself, continued His Honour, some period of detention was necessary, and the sentence of the. Court would be two years’ Borstal detention. It was

with hesitation, said His Honour, that he would suggest suppression of the prisoner’s name, but the physical and mental condition of the prisoner in this case, warranted suppression. Mr J. Meltzer appeared for the prisoner. “Yours is a bad case and cannot be lightly passed over,’’ remarked His Honoiir, in sentencing William Arthur Natnan.. a soldier, t<j three years’ reformative detention for assault with intent to commit rape.