SUPREME COURT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 14, 14 May 1912, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

A GRAVE INDICTMENT,

(Per Press Association.)

Christchurch, May 13,

The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court opened to-day. His Honour, in addressing the grand jury, said that the calender was a lengthy one and uncongenial in many respects. There were four cases of what might be called an ordinary class out of fifteen cases. These were the only one not connected with sexual offences. Dealing with the charges against six young men of unlawfully carnally knowing a girl under the age of 10, His Honour said that there was no doubt this kind of immorality was becoming very frequent. ‘ His own experience throughout the .Dominion and that of other judges was that the pursuit of young girls by men was becoming very frequent. Whether it was the allowing of young men and girls to go out together without control or whether the knowledge of the human body was not imparted, or whether there was no attempt at guidance, there was no doubt that this kind of immorality was very prevalent. The total abscence of control by parents of their children was in very marked evidence.

George Foster Brown was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment for theft from the person. Edward Michael Wood, alias Edward Taylor, for housebreaking and theft, was ordered to lie returned to Burnham Industrial School.

William Cooper, on two charges of forgery and uttering, was committed to the Salvation Army Home.

Alfred Robinson and Edward Watson appeared on charges of theft at Greymouth, and Oliver Robinson on charges of theft and receiving stolen property. The .Robinsons were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment each, and Watson to three months’ imprisonment. Jaipes Bartley, for forgery and uttering a cheque for £23, received six months’ imprisonment.

Joseph-Robinson, with several aliases, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for assault and robbery.

DUNEDIN SESSIONS

Dunedin, May 13

The criminal sittings opened to-day. The list is slightly longer than usual. The grand jury found true bills in seven out of eight cases. The case in which no true bill was found was one where ■ a youth named Moloney had been charged with committing ah indecent act.

Thomas Johnston, charged with stealing three head of cattle at Oamaru, was acquitted, Stanley Charles Hilgendorf and Michael Begley, who pleaded guilty respectively to charges of stealing a postal packet from the railway office at Ornakahu and receiving £2O from the packet, were admitted to probation for twelve months

Peter Henry Greig pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing timber from Hogg and Cc)., and also to a charge of receiving and sentence was deferred.

James Alexander Greig pleader! not guilty to charges of theft of timber, the property of Hogg and Co., and of receiving, and after the jury had deliberated for an hour was found guilty on the second count. Sentence was deferred.