PAVING THE PRICE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10847, 12 March 1921, Page 7

PAVING THE PRICE

PRISONERS SENTENCED EMBEZZLER SENT FOR REFORMATIVE TREATMENT. CHIEF JUSTICE’S COMMENT. Several prisoners, who had pleaded guiltv in the lower court to various criminal offences, were brought before Sir Robert Stout, the Chief Justice, at the Supreme Court yesterday, for sentence. Mr P. S. K. Macassey, Crown Prosecutor, appeared for the department.

That ho had given way to a mania for gambling, was the reason advanced bv Mr Stevenson why Joseph Henry Pike, aged 22 years, had embezzled £J2S of his employers’ (Ferguson and Osborn) money. Counsel said the prisoner had led a good life up to February, 1918, when he was ordered to be detained for reformative treatment for throe years for stealing money. He was released towards the end of 1919, and from that time up to the present lapse had been in continuous employmen i, and proved himself an excellent servant, according to the references given by his employers. Whilst working for Ferguson and Osborn he got in with “bookies’ ’’ agents anti gave way to his old trouble, finally going to several of the Christmas race meetings, where he lost heavily with the result that he started embezzling. The sum of £93 had been recovered. The Chief Justice: Some people in our community, unfortunately’, think that the bookmaker is a man to be honoured rather than punished. Bookmakers are allowed to exist, and horse racing to go on ruining our young people. This yoiuig man was given every chance. When he first-got into trouble he was let out of the reformatory when he.had only served half of his sentence. Here he is again. Pike was ordered five years’ reformative treatment. Mr Macassey asked, and was granted, an order that tne sum of £lOl, which the- prisoner admitted was portion of the stolen money, he returned to Ferguson and Osborn. YOUNG MEN IN TROUBLE. ATTEMPTED BREAKING WITH INTENT. Albert John Simpkin (Mr C. A. L. Treadwell) and Walter George Healey (Mr J. Scott) were next placed in. the dock for attempted breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime. On behalf of Simpkin, counsel pleaded ill-health and general depression following on unemploymen t and sickness in his family. His Honour: The police report that he has done no work for six months and is a racecourse guesser and waster. Mr Treadwell: That is the allegation. I suggest, sir, that prisoner be given a sentence to run concurrently with one of six months which he is serving at present. Sir Robert Stout: I cannot overlook the fact that he also received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment in. 1915 for breaking and entering and theft. He will be detained for two years’ reformative treatment, the term to commence at the expiration of his present sentence. Mr Scott said Healey had never been ' before the court previously on an offence involving dishonesty. He. had gone to the war when on -the sunny ! side of thirty and come hack bodly wounded in the leg, suffering severely from shell-shock and a gray and aged man. _ Prisoner was admitted to probation for three years. “A LAZY WASTER.” GUILTY OF FORGERY AND UTTERING. A pier for leniency was entered by Mr A. B. Sievwright on behalf of Joseph David Stancombe, guilty of two charges of forgery and uttering. “This is not a case for probation,”* said His Honour. “Prisoner is a man' who has abandoned his family, given way to drink, and will not keep his employment. The police describe him as a lazy waster.’’ A sentence of four months’ imprisonment with hard labour was imposed. “MENTA.L DEFECTIVES.” A SIMILAR OFFENCE. “I know the probation officer’s report is unfavourable to the granting of. probation, but , I intend to call evidence with the object of securing probation,” said Mr O. C. Mazengarb for a 17-year-old hoy, William Daly, who ]*ad admitted two offences of forgery and uttering, one charge of breaking and entering and theft. Counsel then went on to say that_ the prisoner sustained an injury to his head some years ago and had been operated on for thetrouble. He suffered from headache. Sir Robert Stout: Headaches would not make him take money, or obtain money fraudulently from the Post Office Savings Bank. In my opinion, at least one-third of our criminals ’ are mental defectives. Counsel: “I think that is the case here.” Mr Mazengarb then called the evidence indicated and incidentally adduced the fact that some time ago the boy fell under the spell of tu married woman with several children; in fact, thev “were keeping company.” The Chief Justice remarked that it was not a case for probation, and ordered the prisoner to be detained for reformative treatment for a period not exceeding two years. A YOUTHFUL BURGLAR. ADMITTED TO PROBATION. Edward Guilloson, aged 17 years (Mr H. F. von Baast). who had admitted two offences of breaking and entering and theft, was admitted to probation for three years on strict conditions, including provisions that he repays £3O, the amount of stolen money which has not been recovered, and that he does not take employment except with the consent of the probation officer. AN OLD OFFENDER. REPEATED CASES OF THEFT. Jack Wills, alias Hodgson, who, in 1906, was convicted and sentenced for theft and has since received eleven sentences in the Commonwealth of Australia and in New Zealand for similar crimes, handed a written statement to His Honour when he was asked if he had anything to say why he should not be dealt with for two cases of theft at Wanganui. “I cannot understand you,” remarked Sir Robert Stout. “You no sooner got out of gaol than you again commence stealing. I will sentence you to three years’ reformative detention to seo if it will set you up again.”