CRIMINAL GANG.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20625, 25 July 1930, Page 15

CRIMINAL GANG.

YOUNG MEN SENTENCED.

JUDGE PRAISES DETECTIVES.

ARSON, THEFT AND MISCHIEF.

[BY TELEG3-APK. CX>3UUEn*CN!D£??T.] HAMILTON, Thursday.

Six Camfcridze young men ""bo had pleaded griilty a the Hamilton Magistrate's Court on July 16 to a series of charges of arson, theft and mischief, were sentenced Dv Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court to-day. The six accused and the charges to which they had pleaded guilty were as foLows: —John Meredith, aged 29, one charge of arson and two of theft; Alired Dorrington Brown, aged 2i, five charges of arson and two of theft; Edward David Brown, aged 22, six charges of arson, one of attempted arson, one of mischief and two of theft: Harvey Charles Hall, aged 22, six charges of arson, two of mischief and one of theft; John Tickers Featherstone, aged IS, seven charges of arson, one of attempted arson, three of theft, and two of mischief: Sidney Walter Goodall, aged 13, two charges of arson and one of tfceft. Great Damage to Property.

The accused had been concerned xn destrcvinsr fxo church halls, three unoccnmed houses, two haystacks, and the theft, and conversion of motor-cars in the Hamiitcn and Cambridge district. Damace to the extent of "ivas dene durinz a period of months. Mr. A. L. Tompkins appeared for Meredith, Good all and tie tiro Browns, and Mr. N- S. Johnson represented Featherstione and Hall.

' Mr. Tompkins said Meredith had been iin trouble about 10 years ago. He bad j supported a widowed mother and a ycung I brcther. and had helped purchase theu i heme. His employer spoke well of bis I industry and integrity. He had net been j an instigator or & lighter of the fires, and j had net been a regular member of the I gangj The two Browns. said counsel, had been : cuiet and weil-behared boy* until this | ser.es of crime commenced. The offences | started with the lighting cf a dead tree, ! and then developed like a landslide. The | Browns did not light the fires, bat simply ! acted as chauSeurs of the party. . I Mr. Tompkins said these cases were in j no wav comDaracle with what had oc- ■ curred in Christ-church, in that, there was j no menace to human me. and no burglary. i I Alleged Passive Participants. ! The orences were the outcome of pore ! mischief, and no criminal cunning had j been shown. The Browns were net rhg- | leaders in the crimes, bnt merely passive j, participant.

Goodall was brought tip for sentence on liis 13th birthday. said Mr. Toaspkins. He was a very hard-working ycntb, and had bcrne an unblemished character. He bad act been a regular member of the rang, and had been mora sinned against '.ban smning. Mr. Tompkins suggested that a short term cf imprisonment would be as enectivs? as a. retormatory measure as a long terra. VVit.h regard t-o and I^eatnersuCne. Mr. Johnson said it mast be acknowledged that thev were the esecutire members of the ganc. The accased accepted laii resDcnsibiHty for the crgy of Tandalism had inculced in. Their conduct could only be attributed so freak bravado. Thev had both bcrne excellent characters aatil a short time ago. All Equally Culpable. Ir. imposiac sentence His Hcncr said it was vary sad to snd the accased ia the position in which they were placedHo had listened with care to what their counsel had said, but he {cund it imOfssible to discriminate between the culpability of each cf them. All had beinnced to th« one gang, and ia a dramatic fashion thev had styled themselves " the zancsters." . " h was hard to account for their con•inct. It was neither want ncr a desire fcr iiin. and they bad not been subject v. i" sudden impulse. He could Sad do

| =~ras« for their ccndact, and taere "was I n*"" ili.C* 1,0 »*• CTI2I2*-3<*-* i propensity. Fortunately. tsroueh the | ricilaace of the detecti-re forcfe ta Hamilj ten. wncsa anility and erttciency were j deservins of ail " praise, the accused's j career of crime was stopped. As :t was, | huiidinrs had erne up in smoke, haystacks | had bwn burnt- a motor-car had been I burnt and another had been thrown into \ the river. and ia ail proper,y to the value of £4OOO had been destroyed, i It was an amazing record, said His ; Honor, and it was no; often that a New j Zealand Judge aad to deai with such a ! collection cf young criminals. They must I be tsuaishbd with severity, so that other I vciiijiz men micht be deterred from follow- ; inc their example. | His Hcner said he could discriminate • between the two Browns, Meredith and 1 nail cn the one hand, and Fea'herstone j and Goodall on the other. Meredith was ' described by trie police as cne of the ' rindeaders. Hal! and the two Brawns were lon "the same footing. They had charge of j a zaracie where the schemes were planned | and from which the motor-car which car- ' ried them about was used. i The two Browns. Hall and Meredith I were stnt-enced to two years' imprison- | sent, to be followed by three years {reformative detention on one count, i Fe.athersi.one and Goodall were sentenced ' to be detained in a Borstal Institute for i three years on one count. On the remains' sag counts each of the accused was senj tenred to one month's imprisonment, the j sentences to be concurrent. His Honor ! added that he would ask the Prisons ; Board to see that the prisoners were ! sfsaratetL

Farther List af Charges. I Thf» r'rowTj solicitor, Mr. H. T. Gillies, i intimated that he intended to ask the , Attorney General that, no farther action ; be taKfcn with respect to the indictable | charges to which the accused had pleaded : not. guilty. i The sis prisoners ir»re brought before j Mr. Wyrera Wilson, S.M., in the Hamil | ton Magistrate's Court this afternoon and : were sentenced in connection with a sferies j of summary charges, to which they had ; pleaded guilty. I Goodail and Feat herst one were conj victed and sentenced to be detained in j a Borstal Instittre for one year, the term I to i,« concurrent with the sentence im- ] posed this morning. Meredith. Hall. and | the two Browns were sentenced to one : month's imprisonment. the term to be : concurrent wtth the sentence imposed this ' morning. '"me member of the party, George Gori don Simpson, will appear to-morrow for : sentence on a summary charge, and two : others and Simpson, who pleaded not | guilty to an indictable offence, will be ; tried at the nest session of the Supreme ' oar:,.