Supreme Court

Southland Times, Issue 14798, 15 November 1900, Page 2

Supreme Court

[By Telegraph] CnRISTCHURCH, Nov. 14. William P. M. Hoggard waa convicted of indecent assault on a child and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment. John Kelly was convicted and Robert Johnson acquitted on a charge of theft from the person, Kelly being sentenced to two years' imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to a charge of escaping from custody and was sentenced to 14 hours' imprisonment. Henry Cunningham, the Burnham boy, was charged with having stabbed Thomas Archey, Master of the school. Mr Donnelly for the defence, called no evidence, but submitted that the degrading nature of the punishmet that was about to bo inflicted on Cunningham when he did the deed was calculated to make any boy of spirit resist. Of course the boy was not justified in using a knife, but he submitted that there had been no evidence to show that the blow had been a deliberate one. The law did not warrant the master of Burnham School in stripping and exposing a boy for punishment before four of his schoolfellows. His Honour, in summing up, said that if the argument that a punishment should not be inflicted which a boy considered degrading was pushed to its utmost extent no punishment could be giveu which the person to be punished thought fit to object to as degrading. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. His Honour said it was difficult to decide what to do with the boy and he would take time for consideration. Wellington, Nov. 14. Angus Young, who pleaded not guilty to having committed rape at Pohangina, was found guilty of assault with intent and remanded for sentence till Friday. The Grand Jury have returned true bills against Wybertus and Kilian in the Stoke Orphanage assault cases. No bill wa« found in the case of James Doyle, indicted for alleged assault and robbery.