THREE YEARS’ REFORMATIVE TREATMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 24 October 1941, Page 2

THREE YEARS’ REFORMATIVE TREATMENT

A YOUNG MAN’S OFFENCES Montague Harry Rodlev, a married 11 man. aged 23 years, was convicted in r ' I the Magistrate’s Court this morning >R ; by Mr T E. MaunseH, SM . on three I charges of indecent exposure. Detective-Sergeant F. Hayhurst, who *' i prosecuted, said that accused for some | time had been indecently exposing n ! himself before schoolchildren in the citv. He was caught in the act in 1_ | Lower Hardy street before eight or ten c children. He had previously been be- : fore the Court on four charges of mischief and four charges of theft in 1936 and was afterwards convicted of breaka , ing. entering and theft. When he was 1- tried in the Supreme Court at Wele lingtnn his counsel called evidence to d show that accused was going blind and h j bv reason of that he was admitted to )- j two years’ probation, a condition bo•s ing that he be committed to the Ine . stitute for the Blind. Although his d eyes were very weak he still had his 11 sight. The detective said that Rodlev bad told him that he could not help doing a what he had been doing. He suggested e that a lengthy term might be imposed, s - as he was a menace about the town. !- Accused admitted that he had been -- doing this since February. The detcc- | tivo added that there were other mem* 1S . bers of the family in Nelson, all of >' | whom were highly respected members of the community. u After reading a letter from accused’s n I father the Magistrate remarked that h • the evidence showed that accused sufc ! fered from some abnormality. It was •s 1 a disease more than a crime. But the >s£fact remained that he was a menace to isMhe community and could not be allow’y ed to be at large. He did not know n whether accused couFd be given some is j scientific treatment, but that was a 1 matter for the Prisons Board is Accused was convicted and ordered Is jto be detained for reformative pura poses for a period not exceeding three d | years.