CROWN ACCEPTS PLEAS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 25 July 1935, Page 7

CROWN ACCEPTS PLEAS

ALLEGED OFFENCES IN AUSTRALIA. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS IN CHARGES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 24. Pleas of not guilty' entered by Alfred James Jackson to charges of attempting to obtain £3O and £350 from the Bank of Now Zealand at Grovmouth by false pretence were accepted by- the Crown in the Supreme Court to-day owing to technical difficulties arising from the fact that the alleged offences were committed in Australia. Jackson pleaded guilty to stealing two letter of credit forms am! a document containing the specimen signature of a bank officer and was admitted to probation* by Mr Justice Smith for two years on condition that, he paid £lO towards the cost of the prosecution. Henry Horace Smith, who had pleaded not guilty in the l’oliee Court, admitted in the Supreme Court stealing goods valued at £l6 12s lOd from Furness’ shop al Aliramar and was remanded till Fridav for sentence.

James Hopkins, who also had pleaded not guilty- in the Police Court, admitted charges of assault and robbery while armed. This was the case in which Hopkins was alleged to have assaulted and robbed Johanna Byrne and Joseph Byrne at their home in Tinakori Road while armed with an automatic pistol. To the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, counsel said he proposed to read certain evidence about the man’s good character and wished to put before the judge something dealing with his war record. He would not submit that the prisoner was mentally weak. A remand was made until Friday for sentence,