SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15834, 3 February 1915, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

CAREER OF PICKPOCKET.

REFORMATIVE TREATMENT. »

A MinDiKA-.r.n man named Walter Gray. who was found guilty on Monday of theft from the person, came before Mr. Justice Cooper yesterday morning- for sentence. 1 he Crown Prosecutor, the Hon. J. A. To'.e. stated that the second charge wo id not be gone on with.

Cray explained to His Honor that 1 a went wrong when a boy. but when he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in Melbourne he derided to reform. He wont to Sydney r.nd Brisbane, but had to leave through having been a criminal, despite the fact that he had seen the folly of Irving to successfully wage war again i society. He admitted that, besides absconding on his own ban. he had le:t Sydney after being bailed out by another man for £150.

His Honor remarked that a .-used was liable to 14 years' imprisonment, and to be declared a habitual criminal. Grey would be sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, to be followed by not more than two years' reformatory treatment. A NATIVE'S LAP^E. TWO YEARS' IMPRISONMENT. A young native named .John Taupok : , alias Walker, was charged v ah forging a cheque for £30. with attempting to obtain articles of furniture by false pretence-. and obtaining 5s in monev bv talso pretences. " ' In outlining the fact? f..r the Crown, Mr. Tole stated that on December 21, 1914, prisoner went into Gc rg Benjamin V>arman'.s furniture shop in HoDson Street, and selected a number of articles of furniture worth al-out £50. He asked for a cheque form and requested Warman to fill it in for £50. Prisoner then signed it. It was after banking hours, and prisoner offered to get the cheque cashed. At his request. Warman fnrmshed him with os to hire a motor to proceed to Kllerslie for that purpose. He said his fither had five racehorses there. W arman gave evidence in support of Mr. Toh-'s statements. Witness said that prisoner did not say anything about drink. Charles Carver said lie met accused at a boirdinghouse. Witness lent him ba!f-a-sovereign, receiving the cheque for £50 as security. Later, he reported the matter to the police. Detective Quartermain said that when he was with Constable Mapuire in Queen Street on December 24 prisoner admitted signing the cheque. Taupoki said he did not wish to give, evidence or address the jury, and His Honor briefly supnned-up. When he had finished, the accused said he desired to address the jury. His Honor pointed out that prisoner would thus have the advantage of hearing i what he. His Honor, had said. Neverthcless. i e would allow him to speak. Prisoner said he came from Christchurch to join the Maori contingent, but he indulged in drinking. He never signed the cheque. His Honor addressed a few words to the jury, which retired for 20 minutes, aid a verdict of guilty was returned. His Honor said Taupoki had been convicted on charges of theft on different occasions. In December, 1911, he got sir months for breaking, entering, and theft, with three years' reformative treatment. Almost immediately upon release he committed an assault, for which he received a month's imprisonment. Then he came here and committed an impudent forgery, and leniency and reformative detention had been tried in vain. Now he would have to try a substantial "period of imprisonment." Prisoner was rapidly qualifying- for recognition as a habitual criminal. He would have to go to prison for two voars.