A MAORI BURGLAR
PLEA FOR LENIENCY,
INTERESTING ARGUMENT,
(Special to “Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, This Day.
When a young Maori was up for sentence today on a charge of break--ing, entering and theft, his counsel made a strong plea for leniency. He said that by training and heredity the Maori did not have the same res peet for property as the Pakeha. Petty theft would not be regarded by the Maori mind in the same light as something bigger and he suggested, that breaking and entering would be
more manly. The Grown Prosecutor said though liis friend had couched his speech in (well-ehosen words, there was a suggestion that the Maori was a thief iby heredity. Such a statement would be resented' 'by the Native race ant friends of the Maori. Mr Justice Frazer claimed that he had much to do with the Natives when stationed in the North an,d no(body could say that tribal customs permitted theft from each other.
The Crown Prosecutor said the argument had been put up that the Maoris had been raiding warriors and sneak thieves.
Council! for the defence said it appeared 'tjhat the Crown Prosecutor was viewing the crime as more serious if committed by a Native than a Pakeha.
The Judge sent, the Maori (nged 22) to the Borstal Institute for two years.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19281220.2.64
Bibliographic details
Northern Advocate, 20 December 1928, Page 6
Word Count
220A MAORI BURGLAR Northern Advocate, 20 December 1928, Page 6
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the Northern Advocate. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in