GAOL FOE 15 YEARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18552, 9 November 1923, Page 11

GAOL FOE 15 YEARS.

| CHRISTIE'S LONG SENTENCE. f I'AN EXPERT CRACKSMAN." SIMULATIONS OF INSANITY. DETECTIVES COMMENDED. [82 TELEGRAPH. —OWN ' ORB.KSPONT) «NT. DUNEDIN, Thursday. .""Prisoner at the bar, you have an exceedingly bad record, and it is my plain duty to sentence you to a substantial term of imprisonment," said Mr. Justice Sim .to-day, when sentencing Joseph Thomas Christie, alias Joseph Vernon Williams, to a total of fifteen years' . imprisonment on two charges of breaking and entering and theft in respect to the premises of the Otago Farmers' Co-operative Company, at Mosgiei and Dunedin, and one charge oi escaping from legal custody. His Honor also declared Christie an habitual criminal Mr. H. E. Barrowclough, who appealed for the prisoner, said he could not say much on the prisoner's behalf. Christie had already been in custody and on two occasions had been committed to mental hospitals. Probably that was his trouble. It seemed to be one of those peculiar cases in which a man was not entirely responsible for his acts. Christie was a man of considerable ability, but unfortunately his ability was turned in the wrong direction. Counsel said he would not say any more, as the prisoner's record spoke for itself. His Honor : 1 see he was declared an habitual criminal in Wellington in 1917. How did he get out? Surely tha Prisons Board did not let him go? Mr. Barrowclough: He seems to have a remarkable facility for escaping from custody. His Honor : It wems that he gets trans ferred from gaol to a mental hospital and then dodges the warders there. That seems to be his modus operandi. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. F. B. Adams, remarked that accused had done thai both in Australia and New Zealand.

His Honor: I hope the gaol authorities will not be so easily persuaded as to his insanity in the future. Is there anything to add to the police report? Mr. Adams : The prisoner is a dangerous man and seems to be an expert cracksman.

His Honor : Yes. very export 1 Mr. Adams said it had been reported to him that Christie had made another attempt to escape from custody within the past few days. That was his second attempt here. Mr. Adams proceeded to relate that it was believed that the tobacco which accused sold on the wharf had been stolen from a shop in South Duneatn. 'Christie had been an active and enterprising man. Mr. Barrowclough: Prisoner asked me to hand you this statement, sir. The Judge, after reading the statement, said that he had one observation to make in respect to tho case. Detective Lean and the officers associated with him were to be commended for the skill with which they built up the case against accused, and presented a b:>dy of evidence which enabled the jurv quite properly to convict accused. His Honor referred to the exceedingly bad record of Christie, and said that, it was his plain duty to impose a substantial term of imprisonment and also to declare him an habitual criminal. "The result of that will, I hope," continued His Honor, "be that you will never trouble the police again. If you" have such an opportunity it will only be due to the carelessness of your gaolers, because it is certain that the Prisons Board will never dream of releasing such a man as yon are and give you the opportunity to again prey upon society. You will be sentenced to & term of imprisonment of fourteen years, on each of the two charges, the sentences to be concurrent, and on the charge of escaping you will be sentenced to a term of one year's imprisonment to commence at the expiration of the other two sentences ; also, as part of the sentence you will be declared an habitual criminal."

His Honor said that no doubt the notes found on accused were tha proceeds of the bank notes stolen from the Otago Farmers' Company. -An order would be made for the £62 to be paid to the company, which was lucky to get so much back.

Christie showed do sign of being perturbed and gazed calmly round tho court until he was led away.

CHRISTIE'S AUCKLAND RECORD.

ESCAPES PROM MENTAL HOSPITAL.

Christie is well known lb Auckland, where he twice escaped from the Mental Hospital, to which he had been transferred after receiving sentences for various crime!!. Prior to the war be Was sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, and in July, 1913, he escaped from custody, but was recaptured, and in June, 1915, was released on probationary license. In 1917 he again received two terms of imprisonment, and wa* later transferred to the Mental Hospital, from which he escaped toward the end of that year. He was later arrested at Patea and returned to the Mental Hospital, but again escaped, and went to Sydney. Subsequently. Christie was deported from Australia, but he disappeared from the steamer on which he was travelling when near the New Zealand coast, and it was afterwards discovered that he had returned to Melbourne. He. however, returned to. New Zealand recently, and shortly afterwards committed the offences which led to the charges on which ho has now beun imprisoned. On a previous occasion Christie was being taken from Wellington to Lyttelfcon in custody, and escaped by jumping into LyttoJton Harbour, but was promptly re-arrei ted. While awaiting trial in Dunedin, on October 8 last, ha unlocked the door of his cell with an ingeniously constructed key. made from bent wires bound with a strip of blanket, and got as far as the railway station, where he was again apprehended.