SUPREME COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 197, 21 July 1937, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

NOT GUILTY VERDICT. Charged with indecent assault at Palmerston North on May 16, Charles Christensen, a labourer aged -56, pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court yesterday before His Honour Mr Justice Ostler. Mr A. W. Yortt appeared for accused and Dir H. R. Cooper i Crown solicitor) conducted the case lor the police. The jury were empanelled as follow: - —Messrs \V. E. Jones (foreman), L. E. Stratton, E. Gregory, 0. C. Wolfshear, O. W. Mildon. \V. D. McEwen, C. Hargreaves, N. V. Ballinger, W. Hearsey, W. H. Doig, W. O’Hara, and A. Anderson.

Tlie Court was cleared for the hearing of the evidence, at the conclusion of which the jury returned a verdict of not guiitv.

His honour, in discharging accused, informed him that he must considei himself lucky, as the jury were not to know as much of his previous history as did His Honour. TERM OF PROBATION. Formerly residing on KairnngaBunnythorpe Road, but now at Shannon, Mrs Alice Hughes, wife of a farmhand, was found .guilty in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North yesterday afternoon, after the jury had been in retirement for an hour and 20 minutes, of the theft of £2O 10s Id through cashing a State Advances Corporation voucher, the duplicate of which had been addressed to her in error. She was found not guilty on charges of forging and uttering the document.

His Honour Mr Justice Ostler intimated to the jury that he did not propose to send her to gaol, but would admit her to probation so that she could m nk» an effort to repay the money. He stated that she was at present on two vears’ probation for obtaining credit by fraud, and she could attribute the leniency of the Court to the fact that she was a woman with-a large number of children, as it was not usual to grant probation a second time.

Prisoner was admitted to probation for one year on condition that she repaid the amount at the rate of £1 a week, Being warned that if she did not make an effort to pay she would He sentenced to imprisonment. His Honour advised her not to come hack to Court a third time, for she would certainly not get probation again. No order was made regarding the payment of the costs of the prosecution.