ROBBERY UNDER ARMS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18769, 27 July 1935, Page 8

ROBBERY UNDER ARMS

FIVE YEARS’ DETENTION PENSIONEP SENTENCED (IVi- Th-ess Association.l WELL I Xt.ITOX. last ll in’ll I. la the Supreme Court 10-day tin* ('hio,l nsiire, Sir Michael Myers. sen-loin-ed .lnmi‘> Hopkins, aged 41. In iti’m iii:iti vo detent ion for a period ol live voars mi charges of assault anti robbery *v 1 1 ihi nnnoil. I ’i-isonoi- assauli - ml ami rubbed .lolianua Byrne anti Joseph Byrne at their hoiuo in Tinakori road on April 22 while armed with au automatic pistui.

Too Chief .lllsti<-e, in imposing; tin' son lent a, saitl that Iho prisoner was fortunate, ami possibly others won 1 roi-lmiat". that worse results had not followed his visii to the house, l-'or-lunately the prisonor had not used Iho w eapon, but it was (piilo within Iho bounds of possibility that Alls Byrne might have died of shock.

Before son I once was passod i-oiiiisei called evidence as lo Hopkins', character, one witness slating that On tin 1 night (,f Hie orciirrem-e, the prisoner was pretty drunk.

Addressing' the f.enell, coiinsel said that Hopkins had served in ihe w:ir, and had been a prominent footballer and au excellent cricketer. He had been wounded, and had suffered from malaria, and was in receipt of a pension of £8 7s Id a month. His marriage had been an unhappy one, and it was suggested this nad preyed upon his mind. It was pointed out that tlm cartridges in the automatic -pistol were the wrong way round, and that ihe prisoner made no attempt to use the weapon. Ilis Honor said that the prisoner had gone into the house where an elderly woman was alone, and had presented’ the pistol at her.

In sentencing the prisoner, His Honor said this was a very painful case, and it was the kind of ease that necessarily gave the sentencing .judge a good deal of anxious thought. -Robbery under anus, because that was what it amounted to. was a very serious offence. Brisoner had first of all pointed the pistol at an inoffensive and defenceless old lady, whom ho gagged and tied and assaulted', and then subsequently, except for the assault, lie did tin* same filing lo her son wlii'ii lie came into the house.