AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12624, 3 August 1904, Page 7

AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT

PRISONERS SENTENCED. His Honor Me. Justice Edwaeds at the Supreme Court yesterday passed sentence upon six prisoners found guilty in th& lower Court of various offences. % A MAORI FORGER'S PLEA. A Maori named Eru Hare Warakihi, alias Hone Tane, who had been convicted of forcing and uttering at Gisborne, made a somewhat quaint address to the judge on being asked if he had anything to say. Mr. Geo. Brown interpreted his speech as follows " I wish peace and love to alight upon the judge and the whole of this house from our Father in heaven and our Saviour Jesus Christ. I have been brought before Your Honor in connection with this trouble which I committed. It is my earnest desire to make atondment for this offence if Your Honor would accept a money payment. I have already paid a portion, .and I wish to pay the balance if Your Honor will fix the amount to be paid by me." His Honor pointed out that prisoner had been sentenced to two years in Gisborne in 1895 on six charges of forgery. Prisoner, through his interpreter, said that was correct. Two months of his sentence, however, were taken off. Some trouble arose amongst the prisoners and ho interfered, assisting the warders. He was then liberated. His Honor said it was plain the prisoner knew what he was doing when he forged this cheque. He had his previous experience to guide him. He ordered him to be imprisoned for two years with hard labour. A SAD CASE. A young girl named Gertrude Susan Mangan, 18 years of age and of respectable appearance, was placed in the dock for sentence foi having committed theft from a house where she was in domestic service. She handed in a written appeal for leniency to His Honor, and burst out crying as he was reading it. His Honor having perused the writing, said it was always painful to have to sentence a woman, and particularly a young woman. Where it was possible to show leniency in that Court it was done, but it appeared that prisoner, in November last, was convicted of a similar offence and was actually on probation when she committed the present one. He imposed a sentence of one year's imprisonment with hard labour. The girl was led away weeping violently, her erics being audible after she had reached the basement of the building. A MOST INGENIOUS PERSON. An elderly man named John Thomas Bennett, with numerous aliases, cam© up for sentence for obtaining money under false pretences from the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. He had nothing to say in self-extenuation. His Honor pointed out to prisoner that he occupied a wholo page of the calendar to himself. He supposed he (prisoner) had not forgotten that he began stealing in 1866, and had gone on stealing ever since. His last sentence was six months for false pretences at- Inglewood. Was that correct '! Prisoner replied quite cheerfully that it was. His Honor said prisoner was really a most ingenious person. He appeared to want to be in prison. He (His HonOr) was sorry the law did not- allow him to oblige prisoner with longer than three years in prison, but he would give him that much. The sentence would be cumulative upon any sentence prisoner was at present serving for any other offence. A SEAMAN SENTENCED. A Shetlander named Michael Gcorgeson, a seaman by occupation, about 50 years of age, came up for sentence convicted of theft from a vessel at Auckland. He asked for probation on the plea that it was his first offence. His Honor said he did not know that it was. Prisoner said he had a good character for the five months he had been in the colony. His Honor remarked that prisoner could not establish a good character in this colony by spending five months in it and then proceeding to steal. Those who came here and forthwith _ proceeded to commit crimes would certainly not be treated as first offenders. The Act was not intended for such persons, and it would be a great misfortune if any such notion were to be encouraged. Prisoner _ was liable to 14 years' hard labour, but His Honor would impose a sentence of on© year's imprisonment with hard labour. A YOUTHFUL OFFENDER. A youth of 18 named Neville Goldsmith, of respectable appearance, who was visibly moved by his unenviable position, was brought up on a double conviction of breaking and entering and forging and uttering at Gisborne. His Honor said the probation officer's report was to the effect that prisoner was a bad character, and that though he had not been convicted before lie had committed several offences. • He had been dishonest for years, but bad escaped punishment through his youthfulnesa. Prisoner, said His Honor, who was a mere lad, came there pleading guilty to these crimes, and it was plain a sentence must be passed and one sufficiently long to break him off from his present associations and mode of life. He would be imprisoned for two years with hard labour on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent. ANOTHER VESSEL THIEF. A young man named Albert Ernest Stevens, who had been sent up from the lower Court for sentence for stealing from a vessel at- Auckland, handed in a written document asking for leniency. His Honor said the statement would have been all very well but for prisoner's previous career. Ho had twice been convicted of theft. People who committed offence 3 time after time must expect their sentences to be longer in proportion. Prisoner was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment with hard labour.