THREATENING LETTERS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 1 August 1928, Page 9

THREATENING LETTERS

FROM HUSBAND TO WIFE. CHARGE MADE AGAINST A STEWARD. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.) ‘PALMERSTON N., August 1. Tho tru. : eounnenci-’d n,t the Supreme Count this iuorniug of Norman Ernest Stanley, whose occupation was given as steward, on a charge of having sent to Mr J. P. limes, a solicitor, a, letter containing a threat to kill the"accused’s wife.

Giving evidence, Air I lines said that on December 5 last bo received a letter from the accused sent from 1 New York, in which a threat was made to kill his wife and exterminate Ills family. Wiitnevs handed the letter to the police-. A postal official produced' an offensive-' v-addressed letter from -the accused to his wife. This had .been opened by the department, and a threat to kill her was found in the letter. Probably 16 offensively-addressed letters- from the accused worn intercepted and sent back to- the country, of origin. The wife of the accused, in her evidence, said that tlie accused left -her the day following their marriage to go to his farm-, which did not isxist. Subsequently she received threatening letters from -all over the-' world. A detective gave evidence that tine accused, in a statement, said that the letter was written in a foolish despondent mood, brought on by de-e-p affection for hi-s wife, who had -repelled ail attempts to make things up between them. The threats were not seriously meant. He had! returned with the express- -intention of apologising. : Counsel for the defendant .submitted -that there was no case to .answer, as the letter subject to the charge ""as a,ot: addressed to or received .by the person against whom the threat was made. The Crown Prosecutor referred hi-s Honour to an English decision, where the Court of Appeal held that a. mar war- 1 guilty of having sent a. letter to Air Bams-av MacDonald threatening to I'l a rtvief detective.

(THonour overruled the objection. The accused was found guilty and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. He promised to keen away from Niew Zealand after the sentence had been served.