AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13905, 12 November 1908, Page 7

AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT.

BfItrMENTALLY WEAK. ' - MENTALLY weak. W M% - « peculiar case OP THEFT. || • Nor Max Keals, the young man who pleadIff guilty on Tuesday to charges of break- ® grand entering and theft, at Penrose, lßw brought up for sentence before Mr. Justice Edwards, at- the Auckland Supremo Court- yesterday. It was stated the previous day that lie was mentally weak, hav- * • * ''suffered from the effects of sunstroke fo'tr years ago, and been struck by light- ' ing *18 mouths ago, when using a telephono. • t «Mr. J- E. Reed appeared for the pri- " soner. and called medical evidence as to . the man's. condition. Dr. Beatty, medical officer in cliargo of the Avondalc Mental Hospital, slid that in his opinion tho prisoner was sane at tho present time, but rather weak mentally. j| c v was also of opinion that, ho was in tho early Stages of epilepsy. He was inclined to thing' that Reals' weak mental condition vas the cause of his crime—that lio merely .committed tho crime in order that lie aught have temporary possession, of tho goods. Ho did not, however, consider .. that ho was a tit subject for the asylum, and lie thought that if his parents exorcised sufficient supervision over him lie voald in time become a normal citizen. -His Honor ordered the. prisoner to come up for sentence when called upon, on tho understanding that his parents would take charge of him. k : . -Mr. JReed undertook to see that the costs y of the prosecution, amounting to £111 Os : 6d, were paid forthwith. QUALIFYING FOR AX "HABITUAL." William Henry Glover, who had pleaded guilty iu tho lower Court to three charge of sending false telegrams and •••••; ilo'two charges of forging signatures, handed in a written statement in extenuation. After perusing this. His Honor said that unfortunately tho prisoner had committed & similar class of offence before. He had been convicted on charges of false pretences, forgery, ami theft of a postal packet. Now he came up on charges oi sending false'telegrams in the names of respectable persons to their friends, soliciting money. His.Honor pointed out the seriousness of such an offence, and warned the prisoner that, it he came up again he woald be treated as an habitual criminal. ;" '"So yon had better let this offence bo ► your last." observed His Honor, as he sentenced the prisoner to one year's imprisonment on each of the charges of sending false telegrams, and to two years on f each of the other charges, the sentences to be concurrent.