ESCAPED PRISONERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21414, 11 February 1933, Page 14

ESCAPED PRISONERS

CRIMES WHEN AT LARGE' BREAKING AND ENTERING ADDITIONAL PRISON TERMS An eloquent plea on behalf of Charles Bennett, aged 26, who appeared on numerous charges of breaking and entering, was made by Mr. A. H. Johnstone in the Supreme Court yesterday. He appeared, he said, at the urgent request of Bennett's mother, who told him that never at, any time had Bennett had anyone to speak on his behalf. Mr. Johnstone stated that, once Bennett had escaped from custody these offences of' breaking and entering were largely the logical outcome. He had either to. return to gaol or to live on the country. He seemed never at any time to have had a real chance, and he had been sent to Wereroa State farm when he was 15. One was rather inclined to put fatward the view that he was the product of the institutions to which he had been sent. Ho was obviously a man of spirit, courage and resource. His Honor said he could not see his way to take a lenient view of the case. Bennett had been at large for eight or ten months, and had been wandering about the country breaking and entering and stealing. That sort of thing could not be tolerated. If men would escape from prison, that was no excuse for wholesale robbery. Bennett was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, the sentence to run concurrently with the present sentence of three years he was serving.. "I think I could, if I pleased, declare you an habitual criminal," said His Honor. "I do not propose to do that, but if you come again you may be so declared and doomed to spend the most of your life ir.side the walls of a prison." Edgar William Allen, aged 29, the prisoner who escaped with Bennett from the Hautu prison, Tokaanu, in February of last year, also came up for sentence for breaking and entering. He had already been dealt with on the charge of escaping. Mr. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, said that in April last he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and declared an habitual criminal. His Honor passed sentence of two years' imprisonment, to commence at the expiry of the present sentence. FORGERY AND THEFT IMPRISONMENT FOR DALMATIAN Six months' imprisonment was meted out to Stanley Nichlos Bakulich, a Dalmatian, 20 years of age (Mr. Noble), for forgery and false pretences. Counsel said that Bakulich had opened an office in Whangarei in great style and set himself up as a commercial agent. He yielded to the temptation to steal £36 deposited with him by his countrymen. His Honor said the police reported ■ that he was a conceited egotist. A recommendation of probation was made by the probation officer in favour of Allan Ferguson McVicar, aged 18 (Mr. King), who had confessed to forgery and uttering and theft. The probation officer said he had been favourably impressed with McVicar's conduct since he had been placed under .his care. McVicar was. admitted to probation for three years and required to make restitution and pay the costs of the prosecution. For forgery , and uttering at Morrinsville, Te Awamutu and New Plymouth, Patrick Joseph Murphy was sentenced to reformative detention for a period not exceeding two years. '-I see you have been in and out of gaol almost since 1909," said His Honor in sentencing Frederick William Schluter, aged 43; on two charges of forgery and uttering and theft. The sentence was two years' imprisonment. SEVERAL BURGLARY CASES OFFENCES IN THE COUNTRY "It is quite ;.!ain that you have thrown away chance after chance of leading an honest life," said His Honor when John Joseph Herbert Rush came before him for sentence for breaking and entering and theft from a warehouse at Rotorua. When Rush, who was first convicted in 1921, committed the present offence he was on probation. He had failed to take advantage of leniency and he would be sentenced to two years' imprisonment. A seaman, 36 years of age, Percy Matthias (Mr. Noble), was sentenced to reformative detention for not more than two years, for breaking and entering and theft from a shop at Paeroa. Thfere were previous convictions on record against Thomas George Flanagan, committed from Whangarei, for breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime. His Honor said that when out on licence, Flanagan had continued his career of dishonesty. He would be sentenced to be detained for reformative purposes for a period not exceeding two years. There were three charges of theft from a dwelling house against Trevor Digby Beale, aged 21 (Mr. Noble). His Honor said the probation officer recommended probation, but he did not care about granting it to a young man who had broken and entered two different places and had not made restitution. His Honor said he would stand the case over for a week, without giving any indication of what he proposed to do. When Charles Arthur Hansen, aged 20, came before him for breaking and entering and theft, His Honor told him he was already becoming an accomplished and confirmed criminal. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. SERIOUS OFFENCES FIVE YEARS IN PRISON "This is the most appalling case I have yet seen," said Mr. Noble, when appearing for Francis Allan Coburn, aged 29, found guilty of indecent assault on males. Mr. Noble said the only conclusion he could come to was that the man could not possibly be sane. His Honor said that a man of this type corrupted the community, and sentenced him to five years' imprisonment. Henry James Millard, aged 53, who had been committed from Rotorua for indecently assaulting a girl seven years of age, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. For unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl 15 years of age, Wira Te Whata, a Maori, aged 28 (Mr. Noble), was sentenced to be detained for reformative purposes for a period not exceeding two years. Two years' probation was granted Leo Patrick Healey, aged 22 (Mr. King), for unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 16.