SUPREME COURT TRIALS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8734, 16 May 1914, Page 5

SUPREME COURT TRIALS

SENTENCES IN AUCKLAND. Press Association. (AUCKLAND, May 15. At the Supreme Court, Wiremu' Parangi Kaiwaia was sentenced to two years' hard labour for an attempted offence against a young girl. Peter George was sentenced to six months’ hard labour for theft. Augustus Anthony Stempa, for breaking his probation, was sentenced to a term to run concurrently with tho existing sentence. Tino To Heke, for a breach of probation, was sentenced' to twelve months’ reformative treatment. CHRISTCHURCH SITTINGS. Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, May 15. At the Supreme Court, William Pain, eighty-two years of age, was charged on two indictments with having at • Sydenham on April 4th, indecently assaulted two little girls, aged four and six years respectively. Tho jury, after hearing the evidence, found accused guilty on both charges without retiring. His Honour commented severely on the behaviour of tho accused, and said* that it was only his great age that saved him from a term of imprisonment. His Honour ordered Pain to come up for sentence when called upon. DUNEDIN SENTENCES. Press Association. DUNEDIN, May 15. The criminal sittings ef the Supreme Court concluded to-day, when John Richard Hewitt, charged with the theft of £2O from the person at Forbury racecourse, was acquitted. Tho following prisoners were sentenced : —Clarence Danker, for criminal assault at Ophir, twelve months’ imprisonment; William James Conn, theft at Dunedin, six" months* imprisonment and reformative treatment for three years; Thomas Frederick Victor, * several charges of false representations, eighteen months’ imprisonment; ! John Crisp, solicitor, forgery and misappropriation, and failing to keep proper books, three years’ hard labour ; George Havelock Green, , attempted wife murder at Sawyers Bay, ten years’ hard labour; John Cecil Mercer, theft from a dwelling and forgery, six months’ imprisonment and reformative treatment; Patrick Connolly, theft at' Dunedin, two years’ imprisonment. Connolly was warned that he had qualified as an habitual criminal. He was given another chance.

Keen interest was manifested in the case of Crisp this morning. Some interesting particulars of his career were given hy Mr AV. MacGregor, who appeared for the prisoner. Counsel explained that Crisp was originally a journeyman tailor, and with the ambition of becoming a lawyer, _ throw up £3 weekly and entered a solicitor’s office in a junior capacity at a small salary. He remained there for four years, worked hard, passed his examinations, and became qualified. His only experience was in Magistrate’s Court work, ho had no training in book-keeping or conveyancing and had never been taught to appreciate the vital importance of keeping trust accounts separate from his business income. Ho started to practise in 1906 at Palmerston, out found a difficulty in make a living against the competition, and went back financially, and at tho ond of 1909 owed £3OO to a rival solicitor, who left, selling his practice to Crisp for £650. with a millstone of about £IOOO. Ho borrowed money. His practice was disappointing; having no training in bookkeeping he could not get bis money in, and fell into the wicked habit of drawing on the trust account to pay his way. He gradnally got deeper into debt, and then conceived, in 1911. tho ideal of committing a series of foolish clumsy forgeries. Ho then commenced drinking, neglecting his practice, and his affairs became public property. Then when about to be arrested be ran away on tho advice of an injudicious friend.