PRISONER'S PLEA

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24370, 4 September 1942, Page 5

PRISONER'S PLEA

ESCAPE ON IMPULSE CONCURRENT SENTENCE A plea that he had acted on impulse under the shock of hearing the sentence passed on him was made in the Supreme Court yesterday by Clifford Douglas Keane, aged 27, a prisoner who escaped from custody on August 13 after being sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

Keane said he could not offer any excuse, but he had got "a terrible shock" and was upset when he saw the state in which his wife was at the time ho was sentenced. He had expected that his confession of offences other than those with which he was charged would have been taken into account. "I am pleased I did not get away, as that would have led to further trouble," said prisoner. Mr, Cloal, for the Crown, jn reply to Mr. justice Fair, said there was something in what prisoner had stated, and probably some of the confessed offences could not have been brought home to him. His Honor said he was satisfied that the escape was not the deliberate type he had in inind when warning prisoner that any further attempt would cause the Court to declare him an habitual criminal. In the circumstances, he would be sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment to be served concurrently with his present term. The responsible authorities might look further into the matter and consider whether prisoner's confession should be given greater weight when the question arose as to his release at an earlier date than the full term of his sentence.