CHRISTCHURCH THEFTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19042, 16 June 1936, Page 13

CHRISTCHURCH THEFTS

PRISONERS SENTENCED

ONE DIFFICULT CASE

■Y FORM OF KLEPTOMANIA

(i*er Press Association.) CHrUSTCHURCII, this day_ Two young men, William John Davidsou and William Malcolm Leitch, were sentenced by Mr. Justice Norlhcroft in fhe Supreme Court this- morning for ijr.eakingi into a shop and theft. . Uavid-.-,011 was sentenced to 12 months' imprisnonmerit and 'Leitch was placed mi probation for two years. It. was staled uhat Davidson had'been released from a Borstal institute, only last December.

A suggestion that the'prisouer suffered irom a form of.kleptomania .was made by His Honour when .sentencing Harry Thomas Metis, aged 38, lor housebreak,ng and theft, four charges, housebreakng with intent to commit theft, four .'barges, and attempted housebreaking! villi intent to commit theft, two charge's. ,Jetts was seiiteneed to three years' hard labour.

"Yours is a. very dillicult case," said His Honour to Beits. "You are before ue for sentence on 10 charges 1 in'd have admitted breaking into 24 different houses. You have a long list. ifou have had reformative detention for three years, ■<-nd recently 15 months' hard labour. You had only been released when you set out to commit this series :>f burglaries. They are not of a dangerous character, but rather' an aggravated form of sneak thieving. It seems to be ■!. form of kleptomania, but as society is ordered at present there jis no adequate .reatrnent for this condition. You cannot harry the community in this way. Vou will" be sentenced to. three years' hard labour."

Three youths who had committed jurglary were each sentenced to three /ears' detention in a Borstal institute. Ihey were Cecil Hedley Gilchrist, AVinj'tonMearJl Yeatman, and Leslie William Rasmussen.