SUPREME COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 58, 7 February 1925, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL CALENDAR. The case in which Arthur Georgo Henry Sunnex, a youth _of 19, 11 charged with carnally knowing a 15-year-old girl at Dannevirke on Januar' 1, or, alternatively, with indecentl/ assaulting her, was continued before His Honour Mr Justice MacGregor as the Supreme Court this morning, whe i Mr Lloyd continued the case for tin defence.

Further evidence was heard anl counsel then addrtssed the jury. Summing up, His Honour said it seemed incredible that accused won] 1 sign a statement admitting what h? did if it was incorrect. Detective Fit: - gibbons was a capable and experience 1 officer, snd it was highly improbable that he had "bounced" a confessio r out of accused. It was extraordinary that the truth of the signed statemei t had not been contradicted in the lov - er court. The jury retired at 11.35 o'clock an:l had not returned when this editicu went to press. THIRD DANNEVIRKE YOUTH CHARGED. A third Dannevirke youth, Hemy Seddon Carmichaeh 18 years of agi, was arraigned on a charge similar o that preferred against Ruiney ai d Sunnex, the date of the alleged occurrence being December 27. Tho girl concerned was the one who gave evidence in the other cases. The following jury was empanellei I : Mossrs G. Adler (foreman), H. ('}. Parr, W. Mcllwraith, F. E. Andrews, W. Pascoo, C. Hyde, G. Looker, A. Lawrence, G. Thompson, W. Robbie, A. F. Gibbs, W. Paget. Detective Fitzgibbons deposed thj t, as the result of instructions, he h id interviewed accused, who had signed -x certain statement. Giving evidence, accused said th at the signed statement was correct. His Honour, summing up, stat 3d that tho accused had been more truthful than the other two youths, and cppeared to have been led astray. In the circumstances, the verdict shoi Id be one of guilty, with a recommeiu ation to mercy. If the jury adopted this course, the punishment would oily be nominal. Without retiring, tho jury f ollovi ed His Honour's suggestion, adding a further recommendation that the £ ill should be placed under supervision. Accused was convicted and ordei ed to come up for sentence if called ujon to do so within two years. AUCKLAND SESSIONS. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Feb. G In the Supreme Court, George D snton, charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Willi un Csiwpbell, tramway motorman, vho was knocked down by accused's motor car on the Great South road on Navember 29, was found guilty of ne ;ligent driving caused by inexperience in handling a motor car. Sentence vas deferred. Ronald Walker, a young sclool teacher, was acquitted on six charges of indecent assault. The defence ' ras that the complaints had been delil erately invented. Edward Jack Cromer, aged 27, vas found guilty of issuing value ess cheques and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.