CRIMINAL GANGS

Southland Times, Issue 18962, 8 June 1923, Page 7

CRIMINAL GANGS

HEAVY SENTENCES IN WELLINGTON (Per United Press Association). WELLINGTON, June 6. A number of cases of breaking, entering and theft came before Mr Justice Chapman at the Supreme Court to-day for sentence. Regarding a group of five His Honour referred to the necessity for breaking up gangs and preventing associations which were likely to become a menace. George Lester Rolfe, Donald Campbell, James William, Thomas Green, William Daniel Douglas and Hector Kenneth Claude Hodges, all youths, appeared together. All had been previously convicted. Campbell was described by the police as the makings of a master criminal. The sentences were: Rolfe, three years’ reformativee; Hodges and Campbell, three years’ probation and to pay part of the cost of the prosecution; Green, one year’s reformative; Douglas, three years’ reformative. Victor K. and Andrew Cole, both 17, on similar charges, both escapees from Weraroa, were ordered to be returned and after release to be admitted to probation for three years. Frederick Leo Williams and Thomas Henry Murray who recently arrived from Australia as stowaways, each got three years’ reformative. John Nolan, described as a dangerous criminal, had entered houses including that of Sir Francis Bell. He had numerous convictions. He was sentenced .to five years’ imprisonment and declared anWabitual criminal.