SUPREME COURT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 290, 12 November 1912, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

CHRISTCHURCH SITTING. THE RUSSELL CASE. — j Christchurch, Nov. 11. | The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court opened this morning before Mr. Justice Denniston, who. addressing the Grand Jury, said there were on the list twenty charges against fifteen individuals, some of them of a serious character. There was the usual large number of cases which formed part of the criminal list throughout the Dominion, cases in connection with young women. Referring to the charge of attempted abortion against Dr. Charles Tames Russell, His Honor, after sketching the evittenee of the young woman given in the court below, said that there was no doubt, if the jury believed the girl's evidence, the offence was committed. The law al,ia\s linked upon the destroying of potential life as a most serious jffenee. The accused in this case was a well-known man. and no doubt there had been much talk abut the matter. There was nribt on the evidence that then was a clear prima-facie ease to gt io a common jury. i Subsequently the Grand Jurry brought in a true bill against Russell. Several prisoners were sentenced. Edward Michael Wood .a Burnham .■scapee, was ordered to be detained ! ,n gaol for reformative purposes. | dobert Dickson Warden and Leslie ! Ennsford Scoullar were ordered to n* sent back to Burnham, as was i also William Duncan alias Eriwata. j Helen Shepherd Copland, on a charge j if theft from a dwelling, was order-i ?d to come up for sentence when I ■ailed upon, and further to pay £.' J - towards the cost of proceedings. I William McCabe was sentenced to) ive years' hard labour for carnally | mowing his niece. Alexander Ken- | ivdy. aged 16 years, on a charge of ireaking and entiling, was ordered o.come up for sentence when called ipon. Maurice Paul Nottingham. >ll a charge of forgery, was similarly lealt with, and was ordered to round £‘2, together with £3 costs. Leslie Layton Smith, on several •barges of failing to account for noney. was sentenced to nine nonths’ concurrently. George Roche (leaded guilty to a charge of bur-, dary. and was sentenced to thret ; 1 nonths’ hard labour. ' BLENHEIM SESSIONS. j Blenheim. Nov. 11. At tiie criminal sessions to-day. Edmund John Walsh, aged 34, and Tohn Vernon Binley, aged 25, were ound guilty on all counts of aticmpting to defraud bookmakers. The Judge, in passing sentence, laid dress on the facts that both prisom ■rs had previously borne good char icters, and had been locked up sev■ral times. The jury’s recommendaion had also been weighed, and he bought the ends of justice would! >e served if he did not sentence hem to terms of imprisonment. The irnper course under the circunistan- , 'cs would be to inflict, a fine and >rder the costs to be paid by instalnents. Each was fined £25, with trms of imprisonment till paid not ■xceeding three months. Walsh was >rdered to pay £-20 costs and Binley L‘lo. five weeks being given to pay he fines.

WELLINGTON. Wellington, Nov. 11. In the case of William Knox, ■barged on three counts with per'orming illegal operations, a retrial ook place to-day, the jury on the ormer occasion having failed to tgree. To-day’s jury also failed to igree and a fresh trial was ordered or the 19th instant. To-morrow a second charge against xnox will be proceeded with. Addressing the Grand Jury to-day he Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) aid he was sorry that our laws were o different from those of other ■ountries —Germany, France, and iome parts of America —where the igreement of twelve jurors was not •equired. He did not see why, if judges were not asked to agree on piestions of fact, twelve jurors .hould be asked to do so. DUNEDIN. At the Supreme Court to-day, ■Villiam James Gadsby pleaded Dunedin, Nov. 11. tuilty to stealing a keg of ale at xaitangata. The prisoner was fined 210 and detained until the fine was >aid, the term of imprisonment not o exceed three months. James Stephens was charged with breaking and entering and stealing i tin of castor oil at Naseby. The nan pleaded in defence that he had 'eft an intimation on a piece of wood hat he had taken the oil. The ac•used was acquitted. A lad of 17 years of age, named Thomas Collins, was charged with indecently assaulting a girl twelve vears of age. The alleged assault vas not an aggravated one. and the jury acquitted the accused after a quarter of an hour’s retirement. A young man named aohn JJmes White was charged with robbing a roman of a handbag and 5 -. and with using personal violence. A ■liarge of indecent assault was ’hrown out,by the Grand Jury. At he ind of a quarter of an hour’s j deliberation the jury found the ac-| cuscd guilty, but recommended him i to mercy, as the offence was compiit-l ■ed under the influence of drink. ■ Sentence was deferred. | William Tareha, for false pre-i tences, was sentenced to twelve' months’ hard labour, and declared i m habitual criminal. j