SUPREME COURT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 207, 16 August 1927, Page 5

SUPREME COURT

NAPIER SESSIONS. QUARTERLY SITTING HIS HONOUR’S ADDRESS. The quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court at Napier opened this morning before His Honour ' Mr. Justice Ostler. The following Grand Jury was empanelled:—F. O. Williams, J. J Toscan, Thomas Roe, J. W. Ritchie, A. R. Retemeyer, P. N. Player, J. W Findlay, C. W. Corner, F. H. Williams, Thomas Parker, J. A. Me Farla'ne, H. McGregor. Frederick Lowe, F. Lockyer, A. E. Houston, R. R Heath. E. J. Phillips, A. A. Hastings, J. W. Harvey, S. Harris, James Brown, H. S. Cotterell, and J. H. Edmuhdsen,

in his Address to the Grand Jury His Honour stated that the excellent record of the district had not quite been maintained this session. Instead of the usual one or two criminal cases there were at least three or four besides several cases coming p for sentence. Considering the size of the district it was gratifying to recognise that there was not such a great deal of crime in the district. In explaining to the Grand Jury its duty His Honour pointed out that in the case wherein James Thomas White was charged with a serious offence, he felt sure that a true bill would be found. In the case against Hohepa Karaitana Panapa, the offence had been admitted so there would be o difficulty in returning a true bill Two small boys were charged with alleged arson. In this case one ol the boys in a statement admitted throwing a match into a building after having broken into it. After hearing the evidence it was for the Grand Jury to decide if a true bill should be returned. In respect to the two hoys there was an alternative charge of alleged mischief. The last case was one wherein two sawmillers from Hastings were charged with obtaining money under allegedly false pretences. True bids were returned against James Thomas White, for alleged seriOlis offence; Hohepa Karaitana Panapa. for an offence against a girl: James Clarence Hallam and Winston Joseph Reilly, for alleged arson and mischief: Frank Burge and Oliver Burge, for allegedly attempting to obtain money by false pretences; Frank Burge, for allegedly obtaining money bv false pretences. When the hearing of the charge against James Thomas White commenced His Honour cleared the court. The following jury was empanelled : J. P. Whelan (foreman), John Davidson. J. B. Cumberworth. F. W Brewer, G. W. Keeble, L E. Bullock, A. H. Burr. W. H. Shearer. S. J. Pointon, J. A. Anderson, W. J. Road and Joseph Lamberton. WANGANUI SESSIONS, Wanganui, Aug .16. In the Supreme Court Mr Justice Reed congratulated the district on the absence of crime. Only two prisoners were sentenced. Gilbert Joseph Michael McGrath was given a year’s reformative treatment for the theft of £126 3/11 from the Railway Department at Ohakune bv falsifying pay sheets, time sheets, etc. His Honour, in passing sentence, remarked that the only way to prevent this sort of thing was to pass sentences that should be deterrent to others in similar positions. The Crown Prosecutor explained that in the Lower Court it had been hinted that under the system it Was easy to manipulate the funds Of thi 1 Railway Department. He assured the court that it was the best nossible system the department would adopt short of going out and counting the men employed on the permanent way Peneki Simon was sentenced io seven years’ hard labour on charges of offences against a girl 11 years of age at Ore Ore. The judge remarked that, it was a particularly bad case and had he been a European lie would have considered inflicting corporal punishment.