SERIOUS OFFENCES

Southland Times, Issue 19279, 25 June 1924, Page 6

SERIOUS OFFENCES

GALLANT SOLDIER’S FALL. AN UNFORTUNATE CASE. (Special to the Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 24. “It would have been better for this man, his parents and society if,he had died on the field of honour,” said Mr 0. T. J. Alpers on behalf of Robert Thomas Retallick, who appeared before Mr Justice Sim, to-day, for sentence on two charges of indecent assault on a male. Mr Alpers said that before 1915, Retailick was on his back for 13 months with tubercular disease, which had undermined his constitution. However, he recovered sufficiently to go to the war, and for a time served in the Ambulance Corps with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Later he poined the Imperial Forces and subsequently qualified for and was awarded a commission. Retallick fought so gallantly in action that he was awarded the Military Cross, and was invested with it by the King at Buckingham Palace. He returned to New Zealand suffering from a severe wound in the shoulder. He sought various kinds of employment and eventually became manager of an art needle shop in Rangiora, Continuing, Mr Alpers said that although homo-sexuality was a disease, it involved such a serious crime that segregation was necessary. Unfortunately the Prison system of New Zealand did not provide specially for cases of this sort. Prisoner, all his life had borne a very high character, and had proved himself to be a very gallant man.

On one of the charges Retallick was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour, and on the second to one year, the sentences to be cumulative.