A LOW BLACKGUARD

NZ Truth, Issue 87, 16 February 1907, Page 6

A LOW BLACKGUARD

Sentenced to Five, Years' Hard Labor. .'There arc unfortunately any amount of brutes about— low bestial blackguards who ought to be put away m quod , for a long term of years m the-' interests of society. T iey. are veritable pests and deserve all they get. A, rough looking blackguard named Thomas Henry Martin was up at the Christchurch Supreme Court this, week for shocking behavior ,at New Brighton a short time ago,. He lived m a tent out there and' was habitually, endeavoring to decoy young girls to some secluded nook and. behave indecently, towards them. He is at present doing a' year for indecj|it exposure, a sentence ; which: tie received at the Magistrate's Courtrat the same time as^ the present charges were- laid-' The- prisoner adhxitted thQ 'offences and had. nothing to say m answer to the usual inquiry—as if • he , could say ; anything m ;mitigatipn of his awful- offences. The Judge (characterised the offence as a most- digga.sting ■ ono i: and-sajd -.. that: •it~ would be far better for mien like iMartin to be kept put of the way altogether. The crime w,as not a violent one, , but people of his class were not fit to be trusted, and he would be .sentenced to five years' hard labor m Ly tt el ton gaol . The low brute scowled at the Judge' as he left the dock to do his pretty long "stretch." He has been convicted before and the sentence was none top stiff. He is an elderly man, and used" tb be an engineer m ChristchurjCh. Heis,a degenerate of the worst type, and his wife has left him long ago.