AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13409, 11 February 1907, Page 7

AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

A BOY'S SHOCKING CRIME. The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court ■were continued on Saturday morning, before" Mr. Justice Denniston. Tlio boy Arthur Wells, who had been found guilty the previous evening of a criminal assault on a young girl near Kaiatai (with a strong recommendation to mercy on account of his youth), was brought tip for sentence. Mr. Singer, who appeared for the prisoner, asked His Honor to give effect to the jury's reeommondafc on. His Honor, in addressing the prisoner, paid that he had been convicted on the clearest possible evidence of a most shocking offence. lie had inflicted an irreparable physical and moral injury on a girl, who, jus far as the evidence went to show, was a decent, and modest child. For such a crime, in harsher and harder times than our own! boys younger than the prisoner had been hanged, had the prisoner been older (instead of only 15} years) he would have sentenced him to a long term of imprisonment. Ho must, however, treat him as a boy. and as a boy lie did not, think that he ouirht to send him to gaol if he could avoid'it. He would, however, place the prisoner under control and in confinement for a period as long as if lie were sent to gaol. The sentence of the Court was that prisoner be sent, to gaol for a fortnight, and whilst there receive a whipping of twelve strokes with a rod of the, size prescribed by the regulations. At the expiration of .he sentence the prisoner would, in addition, ho sent, to an industrial school (probably Burnham) until he attained the age of 21 .wars. For many reasons His Honor said ho would prefer to send the prisoner to gaol, and he had hesitated long ln-fore- deciding not to do so, but he did not think J it was judicious to do so, even for an offence j of such atrocity, in the case of one who, in the eyes of the law, as well as in years, was comparatively a child. The Court then adjourned till ten o'clock this morning. THE REMAINING CHARGES. The following are the charges on the calendar remaining to be disposed of: — John MeXamara, breach of the age of consent, VYaiuku; Claude Marmont, indecent assault, Auckland; William Holland, robbery. Auckland; Robert Telford Wilson, criminal assault. Thames; Arthur Richard V«rley Goodwill, criminal assault, Auckland: Hira To Akau. Taito To lieu Hcu, and Xiheta I'ongo, perjury, Taumarunui. These cases will probably occupy the Court during the greater part of this week. The civil sittings will open on Monday cost.