REDUCED TO 21 YEARS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1933, Page 9

REDUCED TO 21 YEARS

SENTENCE FOR BLINDING MAN,

SYDNEY OUTRAGE RECALLED.

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Sydney, March 10.

The Full Court unanimously dismissed Paul Grierson’s appeal against his conviction and sentence of 35 years' imprisonment for blinding a postal official. The Court, however, reduced the sentence to imprisonment for life (21 years).

Grierson, aged 32, was sentenced on December 16 to imprisonment for 35 years for blinding Alfred R. Johnston, postal official, and to ten years for assaulting and robbing F. Seckold, postmaster, in William Street, Sydney, on September 28. The terms were concurrent Judge Thomson in. passing sentence said he regretted that there was no power to impose a flogging. Detective Walker described Grierson as one of the most cunning, clever, callous and dangerous criminals in -New' South Wales. . .

The Federal Ministry announced, that it would pay £lOO9 compensation to Mr. Johnston, also a life pension pf £3 13s 10d a week in addition -tp all medical expenses associated with Jus blindness. The Postmaster-General expressed the deepest sympathy of the Government, and said Mr. Johnston’s case excited the pity of the whole Commonwealth.

The officials were carrying £530 from William Street Post Office .to pay pensions in a nearby hall, when two men, who had pretended to be window cleaning, dashed ammonia in thdr eyes, grasped the bag containing the money, and escaped through a block of fiats. Mr. Johnson was taken into a pharmacy nearby and his badly burnt eyes were treated. Then he was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he was detained for observation. On October 15 he became totally blind. Doctors had striven to sav<j his sight, but the powerful chemical injured both his eyes.