SUPREME COURT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3888, 18 September 1928, Page 35

SUPREME COURT.

NEW PLYMOUTH SITTING. NEW PLYMOUTH, September 11. At a sitting of the Supreme. Court to-day Araperu Kaiora Hadfield, wife of the Rev. Kahi Hadfield, of Waitara. was found guilty of manslaughter. She beat' her foster child, a little girl, with a broken lawn tennis racket until, according to the medical evidence, the body and limbs were a mass of bruises. She then put the child to bed. but it died shortly afterwards. The accused said that the child had sworn obscenely at her and she then stripped her clothes off. The naked body’ was beaten. The application of the defence for a Maori jury was granted, and it found the accused guilty after two hours’ deliberation. Sentence was deferred till Saturday. Noel Mark Fowler, an accountant, was ordered to be detained for two years for reformative purposes for the theft of £27 and falsifying accounts. Herbert Thomas Seamark, aged 17', was admitted to probation for two years for indecent assault on two young girls. The Grand Jury returned no bill in the charge of negligence, thereby causing death arising from a service car accident in which John Lord, of Christchurch, broke his back and died. NEW PLYMOUTH, September 15. In the Supreme Court, Walter Arthui Stevens (indecent act) was admitted to two years’ probation; Arapera Kaior i Hadfield (manslaughter) also receive.two years’ probation; Hasley Hector Hen derron (theft and falsifying accounts; wa.ordered to be detained for reformative tieatment for a period not exceeding thre years; Morgan Whitaker Priest (tlief. and falsifying accounts and conspiracy to defraud) reformative detention fol a period not exceeding four rears; James Harold Adam (theft and falsifying accounts) reformative detention for a period not exceeding one year. GREYMOUTH SIT FING. GREYMOUTH. September 12. Mr Justice Adams presided over the sitting of the Supreme Court to-day. There was only one criminal case, in which James Nash, aged 23 years, pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent assault on a little girl at a picture house. An application for probation was refused and Nash was ordered to be detained for reformative treatment for a period not exceeding three years. Peter M’Donald appeared for sentence on a charge of breaking and entering z and the theft of mutton birds from a fishmonger’s shop. He was admitted to probation for two years conditional on his taking out a prohibition order, and was ordered to pay the costs of the prosecution.