SUPREME COURT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 August 1924, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

WILSON CASE. ADMITTED TO PROBATION. (BY TELEGRAPH —"PRESS ASSOCIATION.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Aug. 16. At the Supreme Court, sentence was passed on Cyril Louis Wilson, convicted of wrongful conversion of £l9O. He was admitted to probation for 12 months and ordered to pay £25 towards the cost of the prosecution within three months, and to repay the full amount of the promissory note, £222, within nine months thereafter. FIVE YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT. Robert Ballantvne Barnett was sentenced to five years on each of two charges of incest, the sentences to be concurrent. SERIOUS SEXUAL OFFENCES. CONVICTIONS FOR, INCEST. A conclusion was reached yesterday morning in the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, before the Hon. Sir Robert Stout, in the case in which Robert B,allantyne Barnett was charged on three counts with the crime of incest, and on one, charge of attempted incest. Mr. C. H. Weston appeared for the Crown and Mr. C. H. Croker represented the accused. The Crown Prosecutor addressed the jury and His Honor summed up. He told the jury that they could return a verdict of not guilty on the charge of attempted incest. . What had taken place was more in the nature of a suggestion, and no evidence had been produced to .show that anything further had taken place. On the other matters they had either to believe that the girl had wil““iy anc l wickedly concocted the story of these very serious charges against her father, if they wished to acquit the accused, or they had to- accept her account of what had happened, and disbelieve what the prisoner had said which was a complete and emphaticdenial of her story. After a retirement of 50 minutes a verdict of guilty on two counts was returned.

The prisoner was remanded until today for sentenced.—Herald.