SUPREME COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 198, 22 July 1937, Page 10

SUPREME COURT.

SERIES OF CHARGES. In the Supreme Court to-day, before His Honour Mr Justice Ostler and a jury of 12, Charles Frederick Neil Johnson, a labourer, aged 39, married, faced six counts -«lleging a serious offence. He entered a plea of not guilty to all of these. The charges alleged offences at Unnitoi in 1933 and 1934, at Apiti in 1936, at Palmerston North in February and in June, 1937, and at divers other times in 1936 and 1937 at Apiti. Mr J. M. Gordon appeared for accused and Mr H. R. Cooper, as Crown solicitor, conducted the case for the Crown. The jury was empanelled as follows: Messrs J. H. Dick (foreman), A. R. Treleaven, A. E. Blackbourn, G. H. Dawick, L. F. McNab, H. P. Honour, G. Edmonds, A. Iv. Pick, N. Pallisen, M. Petrie, AV. G. Ingram and J. Holland. Mr Gordon formally objected to the joining together in one charge of two separate allegations. His Honour commented that Mr Gordon might also formally object to_ the last count which stated: “At divers other times.” Mr Cooper said he had thought it his duty to include that charge on the evidence given in the depositions. His Honour said lie was noting the objections. The hearing of evidence was then proceeded with.

DUNEDIN SESSIONS. Per Press Asssocition. DUNEDIN, July 22. The following prisoners were sentenced at the Supreme Court to-day: David Littlejohn Brunton and Leonard George Robertson, breaking, entering and theft, 18 months’ reformative treatment; James Hastings Royce Hampstead, theft of £53 from a iqember of the Marcus Show, eight months’ hard labour; Owen David Helm, theft of suit lengths valued at £SOO from a warehouse (six charges), two years’ hard labour; Cyril Potter, who escaped from a mental institution to which he had been transferred while serving a criminal sentence for breaking, entering and theft (seven charges), one year’s reformative treatment, with a recommendation that he be mentally examined again; George Henry Ellis, bignmy, 18 months’ hard labour; Margaret Ellis Laughton, aged 28, fnlse declaration under the Marriage Act, 21 days’ imprisonment ; Duncan Allan Biclian, aged 19, on a similar charge, was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon.