SUPREME COURT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 8, 27 August 1914, Page 6

SUPREME COURT.

Auckland, August 26

Yesterday afternoon the jury in the ease in which James Falkencr, alias Watson, alias Foley, was charged with breaking and entering a curio shop of F. Jarsen, in Shorthand street, and stealing 100 pendants, and alternatively, with receiving 26 pendants found in his possession, returned a verdict of guilty of receiving thereby rejecting the evidence of finger-prints on the pieces of broken window b*y which the police sought to identify the prisoner with the crime, which was committed three years ago. When Falkener appeared before the judge for sentence to-day, counsel for the defence pleaded for leniency. In passing sentence. His Honor expressed the opinion that the- jury had taken a lenient view of the case. That being the case, he did not intend to allow his strong view—that the accused was responsible for the theft itself—to enter into consideration. In order to give the prisoner an opportunity of showing his desire to reform, and allowing for the fact that the crime happened two or three years ago, the sentence would be one of six months' imprisonment, to be followed by two years' reformative treatment.