MAXIMUM SENTENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10898, 12 May 1921, Page 5

MAXIMUM SENTENCE

CRIMES ACAINST MORALITY STRONG CONDEMNATION BY MR JUSTICE ADAMS. A BRUTE TO BE FLOGGED. f‘*E PRK94 ABSOCTATIOW. AUCKLAND, May 11. . Strong condemnation, of two prisoners who appeared before him for sentence, was made by Mr Justice Adams at the Supreme Court. Addressing William Albert Henry Love, who had the previous day pleaded guilty to incest, His Honour said: “You have nothing to sav why sentence should not be passed upon you and I am not surprised. 1 have had some experience in these cases’ and I have never heard a worse one. You are the father of the unfortunate child on whom you gratified your criminal animal lust. The child was living in your home and was entitled to your protection against the whole world. You betrayed that trust. You are sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour. I further order you to be detained for a term not exceeding eight years for reformative treatment.” To Robert William Pegley, circus labourer, who had indecently assaulted a girl only ten years of age, His Honour said: “You have been convicted, on your own oonfession, of a crime that shames manhood. You have prowled about pleasant places of this city and in one of the parks, provided by the generosity of Auckland citizens, you found three little children who had been sent out by their mothers who had a right to believe they would be perfectly safe. You bribed the two youngest to leave a little girl of ten years of age in your company. There is no crime calling for condemnation in stronger language than yours. Little children must be protected from such men as you, so that places provided for their innocent pleasure and where they can enjoy the good things God has provided for them can be safe. I am going to sentence yon to the maximum term of imprisonment. I will go further in your case. As this is one of the few offences for which the law has retained the right to inflict corporal punishment I should feel that no adequate punishment had been meted out to you unless it included something of that nature, not chiefly by way of punishment to you, but as a deterrent to you and others from crimes of such a beastly character. You are sentenced to seven years' imprisonment with hard labour and to be flogged once with ten strokes.”