CHARGE OF PERJURY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7416, 26 August 1885, Page 5

CHARGE OF PERJURY.

[bt telegraph.—press association.] Invercauoill, Tuesday. At the Supreme Court to-day, William Gibson, of Sbotover, was found guilty of perjury. Sentence has been deferred. The charge arose oat of the bankruptcy of the accused's father, Thomas Gibson, who will be tried to-morrow on a similar charge. At the time of the bankruptcy a question arose as to the ownership of a pair of harrows on the bankrupt's premise*. Evidence was taken before the Assignees as to the ownership of these. The father, Thomas Gibson, stated that he did not claim the harrows, that they had been bought from one Chegwedden by his son William. The son made a sworn declaration to the same effect. Afterwards Chegwedden sued William Gibson in the R.M. Court, Queenstown, and swore that he sold the harrows to William Gibson, and they had not been paid for. That statement was in accordance with the previous statements of Gibson. However, Thomas Gibson swore contrary to his previous statement that he had bought the harrows and paid for them, and William Gibson swore also that the harrows had not been bought by him but by his father. They thus contradicted their previous statements made in the bankruptcy proceedings, and in consequence of this were charged with perjury committed in the course of £?• proceedings before the magistrate.