Hercock’s Sentence Reduced To Seven Years

Northern Advocate, 28 April 1939, Page 6

Hercock’s Sentence Reduced To Seven Years

[Per Press Association. Copyright. ] WELLINGTON, This Day. Judgment was given yesterday by the Court of Appeal in the case of Colin Herbert Hercock, who appealed from the sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment with hard labour imposed by the Chief Justice. Sir Michael Myers, upon his conviction for the manslaughter of Isabel Annie Aves.

The court allowed the appeal, and reduced the sentence to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

After reviewing the facts of the case, and stressing the necessity of upholding the sacredness of human life by meting out adequate punishment, the judgment of the court said: “The court, in considering the sentence, must keep in mind its deterrent effect, and therefore such a crime must be punished by a substantial term of imprisonment. It would be a dangerous innovation to treat lightly such a crime as this. “But, seeing that the jury’s verdict must necessarily have negatived an intention to kill or wound in such a way as to be likely to cause death, and taking into consideration the youth of the prisoner, his previous good character and the state of his mind when he committed the crime, we have come to the conclusion that the sentence imposed was unnecessarily severe, and that the interests of justice will be served and the deterrent effect be sufficient if the sentence be reduced from 12 years to seven years with hard labour.”