"A REPUTED THIEF."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18015, 14 February 1922, Page 8

"A REPUTED THIEF."

MODERN JUDICIAL VIEW.

STATEMENT BY A JUDGE.

The modern judicial view of the status of convicted thieves brought beforo the Court on charges of being reputed thieves, was expounded by His Honor Mr. Justice Hosking, in the Wellington Supreme Court, during the hearing of a case against a young man. In addition to being charged with theft and with attempted theft, tho prisoner was charged that he was a rogue and a vagabond, and that he had frequented the Wellington waterfront with felonious intent. In his address to the jury, counsel for t!he defence (Mr. H. H. Cornish) said that whilo he did not agree with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's view that a prisoner once convicted never got a fair trial in the futuro, ho did not think a prisoner once convicted should always be watched by tho police as a " reputed" thief.

Tho Crown Prosecutor, Mr. P. S. K.I Macassoy, said Wiat in his opinion, ono' conviction for theft mado a man hence-1 forth a reputed thief. | " I must hold against you," said tho Judge, who added that in the case under review, there had been no evidenco adduced as to what persons had held t'lio prisoner in such repute. "I-cannot," he said, " support the doctrine that once a man has been convicted of theft ho is always a thief. There is no evidence to support the ' rogue and vagabond' count."