SENTENCE ON BATCHELOR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 March 1929, Page 9

SENTENCE ON BATCHELOR

TWO YEARS’ REFORMATIVE TREATMENT. THE JUDGE’S COMMENTS. (By Velegraph— *ir-ess* Association.) I CHRISTCHURCH, March 8. in the Supreem Court, Mr Justice Adams sentenced John Black Batchelor, -ex-solicitor,, to two- years’ detention for reformative teratmeiiß on charge® ot' theft of £I2OO of clients’ money. The judge said that Batchelor's example would have a most serious effecton the reputations of those carrying on their business in a perfectly iionourabi'e way. It would bring on these trustworthy and honourable people undeserved suspicion and- distrust. Persons least able to lose tlieir money were the most easy victims. It was true that as a- result of the discovery of the facts prisoner would be struck off th, a roll of a most honourable profession, and erne to which lie ought never to have 1,-elonged. When a man entered upon practice of such an honourable and learned profession he ought ito have known better than to be guilty of fraud.