AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13937, 19 December 1908, Page 5

AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT.

A CONTEMPTIBLE CRIME. The young man Arthur Rowlands, who had been remanded from the previous day for the theft of a diamond ring, came up before Mr. Justice Edwards at the Supreme Court yesterday for sentence. The Hon. J. A. Tole, K.C., informed His Honor that the age of the boy from whom prisoner received the ring was 14. Prisoner himself was 23, and the girl to whom he handed the ring was 13. His Honor expressed himself in strong terms regarding prisoner's actions. He had received a valuable ring from a boy of 14, and if .he had had a shred of honesty in him he would have given it back to the woman who ovVned it at once. But instead he took the ring from this child, and agreed to give him the run of the skating rink in consideration of that. Then he handed the ring to a female child of 13 to take charge of for him. If the ring had been found in this child's possession she would have been liable. He deliberately gave it to her so that the risk might fall upon her. Then he went away to Wellington, and a good many days afterwards he wrote to the girl from Wellington for the ling. The crime was worse than one, two, or even three thefts. In the first place it was 'encouraging a foolish boy—for ho was a downright fool —to take this ring to prisoner for free skating. This was a shocking thing R>r prisoner to do, and it was still worse for him to pass the ring on to a young girl. His Honor said he could not pass over so odious a crime. The First Offenders' Probation Act was never intended to encourage crime, it was intended for prisoners who had yielded to "a sudden temptation. Nothing of the sort had been shown in the present case. Those who led others into temptation must be punished. Prisoner was sentenced to one year's hard labour. SENTENCE DEFERRED. Harold Herbert Bressey, a young man, was brought up for sentence on a charge of having stolen £47 worth of jewellery and plate from the premises of Buchanan and Co., Albert-street. The Hon. J. A. Tole stated that there were three other charges of a similar nature from two other employers pending against accused, and His Honor deferred sentence till February 1, after the other cases had been heard.