AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13450, 29 May 1907, Page 8

AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT

'' CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

The criminal i sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court were continued yesterday before His Honor, Mr..Justice Denniston. The Hon. J." A. Tole /appeared as Crown Prosecutor.

The grand jury concluded their deliberations yesterday afternoon. True bills were i found in. the following cases :—John Kenneth Cameron, assault (Auckland); Charles George Frederick Pepper and Herbert Hewlett, receiving stolen property (Auckland) ; John Sheard, alias Delaney, alias Kelly, theft (Auckland); Mary Ann Glover, theft (Auckland); Eliza Davies (or Davis), manslaughter (Auckland) ; Ernest Claude Sheppard, rape (Auckland); John Thomas Bennett, false pretences (Auckland) ; William Henry Cresswell,, theft (Auckland) ; John Cadigan and George Jones, vagrancy (Auckland); Maurice Vernon Jones, breach of the age of consent law (Auckland). No-bills were returned in the cases of Herbert Straker and Charles Wilson, the motormen who were charged with manslaughter. Both were discharged.

ALLEGED ABDUCTION.

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A JOCKEY.

A young man named Arthur Harris pleaded not guilty to a breach of the law relating to the age of consent, at Ellerslie and Devonport, and also to a charge of abduction. Mr. Lundon appeared for ac? cused. The Court was cleared by His Honor's direction.

In opening the case Mr. Tole said the girl would not be 16 until June .21 next, and at the time of the offences she was a few months over 15 years of age. Her father was a horse-trainer at Ellerslie, and the accused a jockey. The prisoner stayed in the house with the same family as the girl, and he appeared to become on familiar terms with the girl. This was resented by the parents, especially the father, who warned the prisoner, and told him the age of the girl. Prisoner, as one might say, ran away with the girl, and took her to O'Neill's Point. Here they remained for a night and part of. the following day, when the girl was discovered by some people who knew her. They took her in charge, and communicated with her parents, who had advertised for her. The prisoner went North almost immediately afterwards, and was arrested. Evidence for the prosecution was then given in support .of the charges. Letters written by the girl were read. She stated that she loved accused, that she would wait for him, ; and that if he would not have her at the end of a certain period, she would take to the "veil," as her parents had threatened to put her into the 'convent. *' ' " ■ After the evidence of the girl and hor father, and mother had been given, the case was adjourned until ten o'clock this morning, the jury being discharged, with the caution that they should not speak to anyone about the case. .■■■• '_"•''" ■ ■*:• \'j TWO YEARS FOR CRIMINAL ' . ASSAULT. .!; Eveland. Taylor, who was found guilty on a charge of having criminally assaulted a female at Mercury bay, was brought up for sentence. Prisoner raid he was 58 years of i age, and . had not ■ been before the Court before. His Honor said it, was prisoner's first conviction, but if the girl's story was true it was not the first offence. He was not at all satisfied it was prisoner's first offence; if it was he would.deal differently ", with it. Although the child had riot suffered to any. extent, the case called for substantial punishment. Prisoner was then sentenced jto two years'- imprisonment. •- ... > • . r- . .- L s • t ' • l . ■ ' RECEIVING STOLEN GOODS AT ..'.';■ Vv, .MERCER. ,; .'.".'; *. •■A, middle-aged man named ? Albert Johnston, alias Albert ; Jones, ,■;. pleaded %'■ not guilty to a charge of stealing a watch; and chain from a dwelling at Mercer on February '8, or. as an alternative with receiving, stolen goods. ' • /Henry Petersen, engine cleaner, at Mercer, .deposed. that on the afternoon of February 8 accused entered; his hut with a : companion. Witness later , went .to sleep, and Von awaking found ■■ his silver watch and curb chain had'been taken from his vest. . , ,

* Alexander Whisker, engine-driver, who was at Mercer on February 8 last, stated, that at about seven o'clock/on that evening lie saw prisoner in tha station yard. He asked witness the time. ?On being informed, prisoner pulled out a silver watch, attached to a curb chain,, and compared the time. The watch had gold hands, v Constable < Wainhouse deposed that on the morning of February 8 ;he «.aw prisoner on the Mercer railway station, but he did not then-have a watch and chain. Witness returned to Auckland on February 14, and on February 16 prisoner was locked up, but' he did not then have a watch. .' On the afternoon of • the ; same day, when prisoner was sober, witness asked "• what had become of the watch. ' Prisoner ataswered, "What ; watch Witness said, "The.watch you got from Mercer." Prisoner said he had sold it; to a man in Auckland for 4s<or: ss; On February 17, when charged with the theft of the 1 watch, prisoner said he had got it from Johannesburg. • • . . "■■ Prisoner said in defence, he brought the watch from South Africa. He did riot give evidence. . . „' ,iV: The jury returned a verdict of not guilty of stealing, but guilty of- receiving. r Accused was sentenced to three months" imprisonment. A RAURIMU CASE, A young man, Alexander Augustus Jone3, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having criminally assaulted a girl at Raurimu on February 5 last. Mr. J. R. Lundon appeared for accused." The evidence for the prosecution ; was to the .effect that a woman, living near the accused's tent, heard a child screaming, and on investigating, found the child in the . tent, the girl alleging that accused had made im-. proper • suggestions. No evidence was given for the defence, but Mr. Lundon addressed the jury at some length, discounting the child's evidence. '■ His Honor said the case was not so bad as previous charges. The jury returned a .verdict of • not guilty, and Jones was ;discharged. ADMITTED TO PROBATION. The Maori TiAhiahi Ti Ahi, who was found guilty ;on a change of forgery at Huntly, was admitted to six months' probation.: . . :_: . -.;; '