SUPREME COURT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2029, 16 August 1920, Page 11

SUPREME COURT.

I CRIMINAL SESSIONS OPENED. | TEUE BILLS IN ALL CASES. The quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court at Chris'tehureh, for the trial of criminal cases, were opened this morning, his Honour Mr Justice Herdman presiding. CHARGE TO GRAND JURY. His Honour, in his charge to the I Grand Jury, said that he had again to congratulate a Grand Jury in the City of Christchurch upon the lightness of the calendar, which consisted of six charges against, five different individuals. None of the charges, he thought, would present any great difficulty. One charge, against a man named William Shaw, related to the Bankruptcy Act. Shaw, apparently, started in business some time ago, and almost immediately got into difficulties, owing to his unwarrantable extravagance. The facts were (dear, and his Honour did not think that the ('rand Jury would have any hesitation about bringing in a true bill. The charge against James Baxter Ker was described by his Honour as one of the ordinary kind of robbery witli violence. The evidence was that the accused knocked down another man as the latter was coming out of the alleyway of an hotel, and robbed him, and there was also evidence that the man's hat was afterwards found in the accused's possession. Edward Charles Durrant was charged with collecting £2 0/6, money belonging to his former employer, and keeping it. He was also charged with stealing a bicycle which had been left outside a boardinghouse. In the charge against' William Cook, who was alleged to have indecently assaulted a little girl in Sydenham Park, the evidence was not very strong, but sufficient, in his Honour's opinion, for the case to be sent forward to the common jury. There was not much corroboration of the little girl's story, but the accused had stated to the police that he had done something foolish The most serious charge, said his Honour, was one of manslaughter against Robert Bruce Forsyth. The evidence was that in May last the accused, while driving a motor-car " towards New Brighton, between (i and 6.30 p.m., collided end-on with a tramcar. The motor-car was wrecked, and a companion of the accused was killed. People who drove motor-cars, his Honour continued, were apparently not familiar witk their responsibilities. It was notorious that many motorists drove in a reckless fashion, careless of the consequences, or of their duty to the public. Such conduct not only involved them in a civil liability~"for any damage that might ensue, but also rendered them liable to a criminal prosecution if the death of any person resulted. The evidence in the present case was to the effect that the accused was under, the influence of liquor when he undertook to drive the car, that he and his companion had bought a quantity of liquor and put,it aboard the car, that he was seen driving furiously, and that when he approached the tramcar he was driving recklessly, his lights being out. The legal position in such • cases, said his Honour, was that if anyone committed a breach of a legal duty, ; and death resulted, the offence , amounted to manslaughter. TRUE BILLS RETURN ill). After a retirement of about half an hour, the Grand Jury returned true ' bills in all the charges. CASES FOR TRIAL. : ALLEGED CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. > William James Henry Stewart, on remand from the previous sessions, was ! charged that, on August 21, 1919, he I had unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl 15 years of age. Mr A. T. Don- ; nelly appeared for the Crown, and Mr | O. T. J. Alpers for accused. The girl ; gave evidence that at tho- time of the - alleged offence accused was a patient l in the Chalmers Military Hospital. She ' had since given birth to a child. When . she told the accused that she was in I trouble, and suggested that ho was responsible, he swore at her, and called her a liar. He also threatened to take her to the police if she said any more to him about if. (Proceeding.)