SUPREME COURT

Nelson Evening Mail, 19 May 1917, Page 3

SUPREME COURT

A SERIOUS CHARGE. (Uhited Pbsss Association!. » CHRISTCHURCH, May 18. At the Supreme Court to-day, Charles Valentine Kear, a returned soldier, was charged with indecent assault on a girl under twelve. The jury returned the following verdict: —"Guilty, with a recommendation that, if the accused is a returned soldier wounded in the defence of his country, "as much mercy as possible should be extended to him as is consistent with the proper protection of the community." After referring to the accused's record, which showed a conviction for theft in ISO 7, Mr Justice Denniston said he "would give as much attention as possible to the recommendation to mercy, but in these cases attention had to be given to the interest'? of the country. Men who did these things were sometimes not responsible for their actions, in the sense that they had strong sexual impulses which they did not resist. He had to protect the children of the country from such men as this, but he would endeavour to make some allowance for the fact that the accused was a returned soldier. With his present propensities the prisoner was a dangerous man. The case was surrounded with some characteristics which made it one of the worst of this class he had had before him for some time. He felt he was giving really more weight to the jury's recommendation than he should in sentencing the accused to four years' imprisonment. If it had not been for the circumstances of his military career, a much longer sentence would have been imposed. Daniel Jervois Bray was sentenced to six months'" imprisonment for indecent assault on three children. Edwin James Sheard was found guilty of forgery, theft, and detaining a postal packet, but no sentence was. imposed. The accused, a soldier, forged his wife s name to a redirection order at the Post, ■Office, and detained letters to her. The accused stated that he had secured the letters with a view to st,oping certain correspondence. He thougrht he had an honest right to open his wife's letters. 52&& 1 -