SUPREME COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8538, 19 March 1908, Page 7

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSIONS. PALMERSTON—WEDNESDAY, . (Before Mr Justice Cooper.) John Chalker was charged with having assaulted and robbed Ucorgo Wilcox of £14 on December 9th, 1907. Accused pleaded not guilty. ' Mr Cooper appeared for accused and Mr Loughnan lor the Crown. The following jury was empanelled: — ! R. S. Carty (foreman), G. Cridland, J. il. Watt, V. K Waters, H. Ryrnan, E. N. A. Osborne, N. Campbell, T. Arro-w----smiith, l< , . VV. Mayo, J. mophy, G. Hail, and J. W. Hands. George Wilcox. Waiouru, stated he came Io Pulniorslon with £15. composed of two five-pound notes . and live sovereigns, besides which he also had some silver. He had drinks with accused and two others in three, hotels. While standing in the..doorway of the third hotel ho visited, accused, who, with another man. had followed him to the back part of the- premises, struck him on the jaw and knocked him down. Accused then caught him by the throat and too!;: his money out of his hip pocket. Witness attempted to rise, and Chalker struck him on the jaw again. H'is eye was black and his jaw all swollen as the result of the blows. Witness was dazed for a while, but as soon as he could ho went info the hotel and told the barman what had happened. The notes taken from him were fairly new. Ho informed the police of the .occurrence, and he and Detective Quirke visited the Central Hotel, "whore lie pointed out. accused, who was arrested by the detective.

To Mr Cooper: He met Clarke, one of iiis companions) at the Central Hotel. He had not told anyone that he had the money in his hip pocket. Ho was standing sideways in the entrance to an outside building , when accused struck him. He had been put in the colls at the police station not because ho was drunk, bu because he was silly from his injuries. Ernest Waites. barman at the Royal Hotel, gave evidence to the effect that ■ho remembered Wilcox and his companions coming into the bar.- Wilcox went out and accused and another man followed him.i About a quarter of an hour after Wilcox came into the bar again by the front door with hi" eye swollen and discoloured, and his cheekbone bruised, and stated that he had ; been robbed. Axel Anderson, licensee of the Central Hotel, stated that Chalkor had changed a five-pound note at his hotel, lie took the number of the note, and on being shown a note produced in Court, identified it- as the one that ho had changed. Detective Quirke gave evidence as Io Chalkcr's arrest, and produced a written statement signed by Chalker. He stated that Chalker denied having changed a five-pound note at Anderson's Hotel. To Mr Cooper: It was not till next morning that Wilcox remembered that it was at .the Royal Hotel that i the assault, took place. He had searched accused in the Central Hotel, and then taken him to the police station. Witness had not made up his mind to, arrest accused at the time ho searched'him. Subsequently accused volunteered to make a statement. The jury, after retiring for about half an hour, returned a verdict of not guilty, and accused was discharged accord"'breaking and entering. Patrick Walsh was charged with breaking and entering Guy's boardinghouso at Tokomaru with intent to commit a crime. Accused was undefended, and pleaded not guilty. Mr Loughnan appeared for the Crown. The following jury was empanelled: — A. J. Mahon (foreman), A. J. Collis. A. Spratt. T. H. Verry, F. E. Ashley, J. C. Dender. W. J. Clare, A. J. D'Arcy, J. N. Clapham, J McCormick, and R. Obcrsr. Margaret Stevens stated that she was housekeeper for Mr Guy She had retired to her room for the night, and woke up and heard accused come into her room. She thought, it was a late boarder. Told him he had made a mistake, and had come into the wrong room. Accused refused to go out, and witness jumped out of bed, whereupon accused caught her by the throat and threw her on the floor alongside thebed. She. struggled with accused, and he told her that if his mate had been inside he would have cut her throat. Witness continued struggling, and worked her way towards the wall of an adjoining room and called out to the inmates.

Val. Croon stated he had scon accused lying on the Tokomaru railway staion on the day in question, apparently drunk. Witness stayed at Guy's boardinghouse that night, and was awakened out of his sleep by a noise in an adjoining room. Ho wont in and saw Mrs Stevens on the floor. George Hope, guard on the Welling-ton-Manawatu railway, stated that he had put accused off the train at Tokomaru. He recognised him by a peculiar cap that ho was wearing. Tho cap produced in Court was tho one worn by accused when he was put off the train. The jury, after retiring for a fewminutes, returned with a verdict of; guilty, and -accused was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour. ASSAULT AND ROBBERY. His Honor, in passing sentence on Frederick James S.ymons and Albert Duncan Brown, alias Browne, who were convicted on a charge of having assaulted and robbed Robert Patterson, stated that- he would take into consideration the fact that prisoners had already been four months in gaol'while waiting their trial. The crime was. however, of a serious nature, and would have to bo severely punished. Had it not. been for the fact that they had already been in prison for some time, he would have sentenced them to three years; as it was, they would be imprisoned for two years and six months.