PROTECTING CHILDRE.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13981, 17 November 1917, Page 3

PROTECTING CHILDRE.

% V STERNER MM&URES URGED. pIV * BY A JUDGE. , *" AUCKLAND, November 12. In. his- address to the grand jiuj at the opening of the criminal sittings of the Supreme ConK jestudav Mr Jus i Hko Hosking dealt at some length with j> the long series of sexual offences which J formed the principal feature of the calondar Out of tweiitj five persons to be anaigned, said His Honour, twem) vyero charged with offences of tlu« class That he was told established a recoid foi Auckland It wa» a deploi able list, and calculated to disgii't the grand jury in handling'it In <un.li a Tve,lter. of a ice as he had found in the cajendar it had been a lelief to come upmi cases of false pro enccs—it mtro duced a different atmosplieio Jlis-Honoui added that when he pre Elded at a prewous Aucklind fitting 6f the Comt the giaud jun mule i leiom mention' that more stringent measures shqu[d be taken.in regard to offences against children. In representing that recommendation to the authorities he ' had suggested that certainty of cont vietion was probably a greater deterrent than stringency of punishment in such cases It was to be feared that in some instances juries had allowed sideissues that aroused sympathy to induce them to give an accused person another chance Experience showed that in some instances the child witnesses forgot material facts in the interval-be-tween the magisterial investigation and the tual, with the result that culprits escaped, One method of meeting this difhuilt} would be to have such cases dealt with by three magistrates, who shpuld have power to treat them sumwithout the option of a jury, jpithat way the matter could be diswM of while die evidence was still fresh in, the children's -memory, and also.without giving opportunity for theifbfmg "coached" in their statements There would lie the further advantage of getting the objectionable mattei Quickly dismissed from the childieuN minds. If necessary the'maximum sentence to be imposed by tl|C magistrates might be reduced. . Another suggestion worthy of consideration, said Mr Justice Hosking, was the repeal of the provision which protects a prisoner it' he had reason to believe that the girl assaulted was sixteen years of age. It-had been recently repealed in Great Britain, and undoubtedly it was a provision that liaj been used wrongly to bring about' the acquittal of persons who would otherwise have been'convicted. When-the grand jury presented the . first batch of bills to His Honour, the forenian, Mr L. T, Symes, said he had been.desired to express the regret of the grand jur.v at the number of sexual ! cases that had had to be considered, and to state the jury's opinion that the matter should be. brought under the notice of the Government. Mr "Justice. Hosking said he would take the opportunity of bringing the facts under the notice of, the Minister for Justice. The presentation of the grand.jury would strengthen his hands in the matter.