CRIMINAL TRIALS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6606, 24 August 1908, Page 5

CRIMINAL TRIALS

SOME SERIOUS CHARGES. panes ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, August 22. Tho criminal sittings of tho Supremo Court wore resumed before Mr Justice Donnieton this morning. William Preston and Alexander Gardiner, who wore found guilty earlier in tho sittings of theft from the porson. enmo up for sentence. His Honor ordered each accused to outer into his own recognisances to come up for sentence when called on. , His Honor deferred passing sentence on John Herbert King, who pleaded guilty in the Lower Court- to indecent assault on a girl under sixteen years of age, until ho had obtained some further information. Stanley Herbert Joseph, was indicted for that on July 24th ho indecently assaulted a girl under sixteen years of age. Tho jury, after . retirement, brought in a verdict of guilty. Accused was then indicted on a similar charge against another girl under sixteen years of ago, to which ho pleaded gnilty. , . His Honor, in sentencing prisoner, said that if ho did not think that the two cases, both occurring practically at tho same time and under tho same influences, had been isolated cases, or that there was the slightest ground for the idea that accused was addicted to conduct such as that of which ho had I been convicted, ho would sentence him 'to a lengthy term of imprisonment. He had, however, tho statement oi tno Crown authorities that there was no suggestion of that sort, and that there was no reason to doubt soused s statement that (except as to tho matter of an assault a number of years ago, for , which he was not actually sentenced) accused had for twenty-three years borne a good character. There was also the fact that the acts of indecency for which iho had been convicted, wore simply acts lof lewdnesa, with nothing of what might 'ha called a sexual element about them. Children must, however, bo protected i from such aberrations. His Honor turned that ho was giving accused the lull 'benefit of his previous good character in sentencing him to six months imprisonment. '