AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14925, 24 February 1912, Page 9

AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT.

SENTENCE OF TWENTY YEARS. A MENACE TO SOCIETY. The criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court were continued yesterday morning before Sir. Justice Edwards. The Hon. J. A. Tole, Crown solicitor, condarted the prosecutions. The trial of Frank Vincent, aged about 35 years, on four charges of indecently assaulting young boys at Auckland in December last, was concluded. The evidence of the three boys concerned was of a shocking character.

The accused, who speaks English very imperfectly, denied the offence. He stated that tho stories told by the boys were part of a plot against him because he was an Italian. He had a wife in Italy whom ho married during a trip home three years ago, and who was costing him £5 a month. The boys, he said, had been, or professed to be, his friends, but like Judas Iscariot they had acted the part of betrayers. He admitted having served a term of imprisonment for stabbing a nan shortly alter he came to New Zealand some years ago. Tho jury, after a. short retirement, returned a verdict of guilty.

His Honor said that no offence could possibly bo worse than that of the prisoner, who had apparently engaged in an organised system of corrupting young boys. A single offence of this kind was bad enough, but such crimes did not occur singly, though unfortunately they wei» not always detected. "It is my duty," continued His Honor, addressing the prisoner, " to put you where for a very protracted period it will be quite impossible for you to pursue your evil habits. Really, you ought never to be sot. at largo again, because it is almost certain that you will never be reformed. My duty, as I have said, is to put, you away for a very long time indeed. Thero are other powers above me, and I shall best discharga tho duty which the law imposes upon me, by leaving it to them, if they think that .you are fit to ho set at largo sooner (which I do nob think at present is likelv) to do so."

A sentence of fivo years' imprisonment with hard labour was imposed on earn, of the four charges, tho sentenced to be cumulative, thus making a total term of 20 years' imprisonment. Tho Court will resume at 10 o'clock this morning.