GUILTY ON FOUR CHARGES

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1934, Page 7

GUILTY ON FOUR CHARGES

ATTEMPT TO PREVENT JUSTICE. INQUIRY AGENT CONVICTED. By Telegraph—Press Association, Christchurch, Last Night. Guilty on all counts with the exception of one which was withdrawn by the Crown was the verdict of the jury at the close of the case against John Black Batchelor, private inquiry agent, which occupied the attention of the Supreme Court for two days and which was not concluded until after 10 o’clock this evening.

The charges on which Batchelor was found guilty were attempting to pervert the course of justice (two counts), fabricating evidence with the intention of misleading the course of justice, making a statement on oath amounting to perjury and attempting to dissuade by threats a person from giving evidence. The charge withdrawn by the Crown was one of attempting to dissuade by a bribe a person from giving evidence. Batchelor was remanded for sentence to the end of the criminal session.

No evidence was called for the defence. In his address to the jury Mr. Leicester said proof of the first four charges rested almost entirely on the evidence of two witnesses whose characters and demeanour in the witness box were such as not to inspire confidence. He suggested Batchelor's actions throughout, however undesirable, were foolish and not criminal.

The jury was out for an hour and 59 minutes.