FIVE YEARS' GAOL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21467, 15 April 1933, Page 9

FIVE YEARS' GAOL

• TOWER PRISONER CASHIERED FROM ARMY STATE SECRETS CASE COURT-MARTIAL DECISION JUS MAJESTY CONFIRMS I3y Telecrapli—Press Association—Copyright (Receiver! April M, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON. April 13 Lieutenant Norman Baillie-Stewart, ot the Seaforth Highlanders, has been cashiered from the Army and sentenced to five years' penal servitude. His Majesty has confirmed tho sentence. A War Office communique says the court-martial found Baillie-Stewart guilty on seven charges. His Majesty confirmed its findings on three of them, namely, obtaining, collecting and communicating information which might be useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the State, but withheld continuation of the remainder, which related only to subsidiary incidents, and the sanio transactions. After the announcement of the sentence Bailie-Stewart, in civilian clothes, seated between two officers in muiti, was driven from the Tower of London to Wormwood Scrubbs gaol. He becomes a civilian prisoner subject to tho usual routine. Probably ho will go from Wormwood Scrubbs to the convict prison at Maidstone. The court-martial first sat on March 20. Lieutenant Baillie-Stewart was charged that in Berlin and elsewhere between August 1 and 20, 1932, in association with X (a German who was named), he made a note of tho following matters: of the tanks and armoured car equipment; (2i the extent of the automatic rifle equipment; C<i) the organisation of the Brigade of Tanks, this being an act preparatory to obtaining information which might be useful to an enemy. Altogether there were 10 charges referring to journeys and to events between July and November. They included allegations of accused having obtained, near Aldorshot, information which might be useful to an enemy, and having arranged a meeting in Holland with Otto Waldeinar Obst, of Berlin, which was preparatory to communicating information prejudicial to the interests of the State. Tho charges mostly referred to tanks, armoured cars and automatic rifles. Accused pleaded not guilty. On March 28 the Court returned a verdict in accordance with the .Judge Advocate's recommendation, finding Baillie-Stewart not guilty on three charges. The findings on the remaining seven charges were to he promulgated after reference to higher authorities. The accused was born in Willesden, London, on January 15, 1909. He is a soil of Lieutenant-Colonel Cron Hope Bail lie Wright, formerly of the Indian Army, .lust before he received his commission in the Army Lieutenant BaillieStewart changed his name by deed poll. Tho change was from Norman Baillie Stewart Wright to Norman Baillie-Stewart, Baillie-Stewart being the name of his mother's family. The deed poll was executed at Portsmouth on January 1, 1929. His home has been at Portsmouth ever since his father retired from the Army. Lieutenant Baillie-Stewart was educated at a famous public school in tho West of England before being sent to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth' with a view to preparing for a career in the Royal Marines. He had to leave Dartmouth after three years because of illness and, following an operation, was entered for Sandhurst Military College, whero he gained a scholarship. He was given a commission in the Seaforth Highlanders, and on January 31, 1929, was posted to the 2nd Battalion at Jhansi, in Jndia. Lieutenant BaillieStewart received a decoration for service on the North-West Frontier in 1930. lie served with this battalion until October, 1931. From that date he was seconded on probation to the Royal Army Service Corps in England, and was promoted to lieutenant on January 31, 1932. Ho was placed under arrest in the officers' mess at Aldershot on January 20 and was transferred to the Tower of London on January 26.