MOTOR CRIMES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23339, 6 May 1939, Page 17

MOTOR CRIMES

- SENTENCES PASSED thefts by mechanic TWO YEARS IN GAOL HIS HONOR'S COMMENT ,"/■ j hree men who had admitted crimes sociated with motor-cars were sen■by Mr. Justice Fair in the ' Supreme Court yesterday. Two charges of the theft of motor- ' s had been admitted by William Anderson, mechanic, aged 31. Speak- . on his behalf, Mr. Hart said he aware that Anderson had had eonaction's in Australia, but for seven rears jbefore he came to New Zealand L seemed to have: been living a straight life. It seemed that he had gome" extraordinary uncontrollable desire'for motor-cars. His Honor: I do not know that it is uncontrollable. These offences seem to ' have been very deliberately planned -' beforehand and (parried out with great cunning- _ ■ Air. Hart said the money prisoner cot from the thefts went 011 racehorses. When approached he made a ' full statement to the detectives. Without Excuse gis Honor: He really has 110 excuse for committing this crime. Here is a rn-m who is a capable mechanic and ro'uld easilv have obtained employment, hut he deliberately steals two motor- ° C ach of which is valued at over r : 300 takes them ,to a garage, repaints +hem', chances the number-plates, goes down to Christchurch and sells one. What possible justification or nutigacould there be for 0 an offence of 4riat kind ? . _ . „ Mr Meredith said there were really fnur cars involved, as other cars were received in part payment and their ownership would.be disputed. -Accused was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Failure to Stop

"Tt is clear that this offence was committed on the. spur of the moment " Sa-Mr Holmdeh, speaking on behalf of .Norman Arthur Purcell, grader driver, Of Kaitaia, aged 22. Puree 1 had pleaded guilty to a charge of failin*, to stop and,render all practicable assistance after an accident involving on the Koh,.-fcohu-Motukaraka mam highway on Apfil 3, when a Maori woman SO years at ago was knocked down and died lbter'in hospitak Mr. Holmden said the depositions did not suggest- any negligent driving on the part of the prisoner. The woman was the victim of her own carelessness. His Honor said there was no clear evidence of that. . Jir Holmden said this was an accident'and there was obviously no criminal intent. Witnesses ,said thev had asked Purcell to stop, but he said they had urged him 'to go on. He had had an injKy to his head a few days before this accident and he ought not to ha\ e been driving at all.

v ;Sii Months in Prison ' Mr. Meredith said that the accused drove on eight miles after he had knocked the woman down, although those in the car' with him asked him to'stop. He attempted to falsify the position until it was clear he had been Honor said an offence of this kind could never be looked on as less than very grave. The spur of the moment" did. not seem to describe it at all Accused" knew this woman lie had struck had been left lying and peihap-: dving, jand he; had acted in heartless and reprehensible wav. He "'had refused the assistance which it iras both the moral and the legal duty of every person concerned in an accident ,to give at once and to the fullest extent" possible. A sentence of imprisonment must Hp imposed that would mark the gravity of the offence, said His Honor, and the least terni he could give would b»> , six months', imprisonment. Indulgence in Drink

"This crime, like so many others seems to have been largely contributed to by the fact' that -you have been indulging in drink," said His Honor when Noel Charles Clifford Crouch, labourer, aged 25, appeared for sentence on a change of unlawfully converting a ; motor-car valued at £l9O. His Honor said Crouch had a bad record of similar offences. This offence itself was a serious one, and, although it ended without injuring any person or causing death, that might quite well have happened from the way in .which he was driving and the condition he was in. He would be sentenced to .12 months' imprisonment with hard labour.