SUPREME COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 230, 22 September 1908, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

THE WESTPORT PERJURY CASE. By Jelegraph.—Press Association. Hokitika, Last Night. A't the Supreme Court to-day, U. Connolly, charged with perjury arising out of the VVestport murder case in .May last, wa-i commenced. The case i» likely to last a week, there being about seventy witnesses, only three ot whom were disposed of to-day. Anderson and Hallinen, formerly sailors on the ,-i.s, Canopus, convicted at Nelson of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, were the principal witnesses. They positively denied Connolly's statements, on which they were convicted, and on which the present charge of perjury is founded. They assert that they 'never saw Bourke, the murdered man, dead or alive. They gave similar versions as to their movements on Hie night of the murder, and generally corroborated each other's evidence. NAPIER SESSIONS. Napier, Last Night. Ait the Supreme Court to-day, .lolm Brough, alias Ediward R'obhic, was icquitted on a charge of assault at Mohaka and found guilty of escaping from custody at Frascrtown. Sentence was deferred.

GISBORNE SESSIONS. Gleborne, Monday. At the Supreme Court Dorothy Niecol, charged with perjury, was admitted to probation for two years. Judge Edwards stated that .it was only because of her five yuung children that he granted this leniency. Joseph Johnston and Jitmes Keognn pleaded guiltv to a charge of highiway robbery. These are men who were recently convicted of a similar offence at Christchurch. Johnston got a year's imprisonment in addition to the sentence he is undergoing and was declared a. habitual criminal. Keogan received a year's additional imprisonment.