SUPREME COURT

Otago Witness, Issue 3494, 22 February 1921, Page 24

SUPREME COURT

AUCKLAND, February 7. Judge Stringer, in his charge to the Grand Jury, sail the calendar was fairly extensive. It involved two grave qsises—a son charged with murdering his mother, and a father charge:! with murdering his son. In the first case he said it would be best for the jury !o riturn a true bill, in Older to allow the facts to come out in court, The case of Needham, who killed i.is son at Maungutoroto. was even more c.istressing. The jury would have no difficulty in finding a true bill. In addition to the indictment of murder, there ought also to be an alternative one for manslaughter, but his Honor suggested that a true bill on the graver charge should be brought in. Joseph Rowlands, alias Harris, was send to three months’ hard labour for the theft of a bicycle. James Northey, for indecent assault on a girl of seven years, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The Grand Jury returned true bills against Frederick Spearpoint for the alleged murder of his mother, and against Thomas Needham for the alleged murder of his son. February 8. At the Supreme Court to-day the jury found Louis Le Brun not guilty on a charge of assault on Airs Alice Emery, the parties being vaudeville artists. Mrs Emery was injured, she alleged, by a blow struck bv the accused at Fullers’ Opera House on November 24. The defence was that the injury was caused by falling. February 8. A 'fine of £2 was imposed at the Supreme Court on Edith M'Kav, charged with having wilfully made a false declaration in respect to the registration of a birth. The charge arose cut of a case heard on January 24, in which the chief witness admitted that he had gone through a bogus marriage with accused, and that she did not know of the deception until after registering the first child’s birth, the offence being in connection with the second birth. In returning a verdict of guilty, the jury added that accused had not realised the seriousness of the false entry, and, therefore, was entitled to mercy. His Honor said tlie verdict was extremely proper and sensible. The case was really trivial of its kind. NEW PLYMOUTH, February 8. The Supreme Court opened here to-day before Mr Justice Hosking. The grand i'ury returned true bills against Thomas Imitsen for alleged false pretences and George Hindi, charged with failing to account for moneys. No bill was returned against Harry A. James on a charge of wilful damage. The case against Knutsen occupied all day. He was found guilty. Addressing the prisoner, his Honor said he thought he would have to declare him a habitual criminal, as there were 15 convictions against him since 1912. Sentence was deferred until to-morrow. February 9. At the Supreme Court to-day Thomas Knutsen, who was convicted yesterday on a charge of false pretences at Patea, by issuing a valueless cheque to a Chinaman, was sentenced to three years’ hard labour by Mr Justice Hosking. Accused had a number of previous convictions extending back to 1912. George Hindi, charged with the wrongful conversions of money totalling £92 10s, received by him on behalf of his employer at Ilawera, was found not guilty.