CRIME PUNISHED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23260, 1 February 1939, Page 17

CRIME PUNISHED

j VARIETY OF OFFENCES j j FIVE MEN SENTENCED FORGERY OF A CHEQUE j i PREVIOUS WARNINGS GIVEN I ! Five prisoners who had pleaded guilty I to various offences were sentenced by ; Mr. Justice Fair in the Supreme Court yesterday. The Crown was represented jby Mr. G. S. R. Meredith. A charge of having stolen a cheque ; form from the room of an acquaintance in a hotel, filled it in ior £'2 10s, and successfully passed it to a tobacconist, had been admitted by W illiant Henry Gardiner, labourer, aged 25. Mr. Aekins, on his behalf, said that unfortunately he had been in trouble before. After being released from W aikeria he obtained employment at a dairy factory, but when it became known that he had been in Waikeria lie had to leave. He had come to Auckland seeking employment when be committed this offence. liis Honor said prisoner was old enough to realise that when he committed an offence of this kind he was liable to imprisonment. He had been given many opportunities in the past, but with all these warnings he deliberately committed this crime. He would be sentenced to six months' imprisonment, and an order would be made for the return of £1 7s 6d recovered to the man who had cashed the cheuuo. / Thelt of Clothes

"Your trouble seems to be drink," said His Honor, when sentencing Kdward H»mry Leedham Quintal, aged :W. on a charge of stealing a suit of clothes from a house in Mount Albert. Quintal said he was already serving a sentence of imprisonment, and added that he had no trouble in securing work. His Honor said prisoner had a formidable list of convictions, which seemed to follow on drinking. It was reported that he was a splendid worker and that was a great deal in his favour. He proposed to treat the offence as one of a series and sentence prisoner to six months' imprisonment, to be concurrent with the sentence he was now serving, thus increasing the original sentence by three months. . . . A number of previous convictions tor similar offences were recalled by His Honor when John Noble Stephens, aged 23 came before him for breaking into a dwelling house and stealing from it. His Honor said he felt lie was treating him leniently when he sentenced him to nine months' imprisonment. Probation Refused In the case of William Arthur Tonks, need 24, who had admitted breaking into a shop and stealing from it, His Honor said an assistant probation officer had recommended probation, but he was unable to adopt the recommendation. After having obtained employment in the country the prisoner came to Auckland and seemed to have associatod with rogues and vagabonds and spent his time in idleness and gambling. \ man who came before Court with a character and conduct of that kind could never expect to be admitted to probation. Prisoner would be sentenced to six months' imprisonment. On a charge of attempted rape Ho bin Allen, a Maori, aged 19 who said he was under the influence of drink at the time, was ordered to be detained for two vears' reformative treatment "There is little doubt." said His Honor, "that vour offence was almost wholly due to' the fact that you had been drinking to excess, but drinking cannot be accepted as an excuse for an offence of this kind." A deterrent sentence must lie imposed, and be took into account that the prisoner's previous character had been good.