Life Sentence Passed on Young Man for Attempted Murder

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 143, 7 September 1927, Page 13

Life Sentence Passed on Young Man for Attempted Murder

SHOT BROTHER WITH PEA-RIFLE Press Association. OAMARU, To-day. h Llf 5 1 sentence for attempted murder was passed on a young man, Allan Symon, by Mr. Justice Sim, in the supreme Court at Oamaru this morning. About three months ago Symon was charged at the Police Court with the attempted murder of his brother Herbert.

ACCORDING to the evidence heard in the lower court, he had been annoyed by ; small boy while gardening, and had been prevented by his brother from chastising the boy. Later he had shot liis brother in the neck with a pea rifle. Since he was committed for trial acci sed lias been in a mental hospita . Symon appeared before Mr. Justice Sim in the Supreme Court this morning and pleaded guilty. The superintendent of the mental hospital reported that the prisoner was not of very high mental intelligence, and recommended a term of reformative detention to instill discipline. In imposing sentence his Honour

said that he would no ttake the responsibility of imposing reformative detention. There was a possibility that the prisoner would, after release, shoot someone else. He was a danger to society. His Honour thought the best course was to impose the maximum penalty, and the Prisons Board could review it, and, if necessary, send the prisoner to the Borstal Institute. Symon was sentenced to imprisonment, with hard labour, for life.