PENAL SERVITUDE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23870, 22 January 1941, Page 8

PENAL SERVITUDE

SENTENCES IN FIJI NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received January 21, 10 p.m.) SUVA. Jan. 21 Three New Zealand soldiers, Arthur Lawrence Astwood, aged 18, Maurice Hawker, aged 18, and James Patrick Bryant, aged 2:i, were convicted in the Supreme Court on charges of robbery with violence. The police alleged that they attacked and robbed an Indian taxi-driver. ft was stated that all three accused made statements saying they had been drinking and had an altercation with the taxi-driver. Bryant said lie did nothit the taxi-driver. Bryant was sentenced to five years' penal servitude, and Hawker and Astwood each to four years' penal servitude. In the course of a signed statement made to the police, and read at the Police Court hearing, Astwood said that he left camp about o p.m. with Hawker and was in an hotel with him drinking until closing time, lie thought Bryant was with them. They had been drinking heavily. When they left the hotel they met an Indian boy, with whom there was a hit of trouble, and he thought the boy was struck by them. He disappeared and accused remembered some Furopeaus coming on the scene. Tho three accused moved on and picked up a local European. with whom they went to some native "joint." hater they came into town without the Furopean and went to tho Garrick taxi stand, ordering a driver to take them to the Point. Near the racecourse they stopped him and ordered the driver out of tho. car. The driver would not get out, so they "smacked him about." They took his cash, but accused did not know how much each of them received. They took the money forcibly. They got into the car and attempted to drive it away, but banged into a ditch. Then they went through the racecourse and back to town across country. They fetched up at a party at some place in town and afterward walked down town with some girls and got a taxi hack to camp at 11.30 p.m. They lost Hawker at tho party and be arrived home before them. Hawker made a similar statement. Bryant made a statement in which he said tho other two accused beat tlie driver up. CONVERSION OF CAR TWO SOLDIERS FINED £3O (Received January 21, 30 p.m.) SUVA, Jan. 21 Two New Zealand soldiers. Denis Cecil Land and Roland Keith Hurran, were recently each fined £'fo, in default three months' imprisonment, for converting a car on New Year's Fve. Tho vehicle was extensively damaged.