DRUCE PERJURY CASE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13634, 13 April 1908, Page 5

DRUCE PERJURY CASE.

♦ SENTENCE ON NEW ZEALAND WITNESS. TEMPTED TO PERJURY. THE JUDGE'S REMARKS. By Electric Telegraph.— Copyright. LONDON, April 11. The trial of Mary Robinson for perjury in connection with the Druce case J has concluded. Mr Avory", K.C., declared that the offence with which she was charged was tho worst possible ; and committed solely from sordid motives. Mr Marshall Hall, for the defence, pleaded that prisoner had been cruelly and wickedly duped. She was a mere puppet in the hands of the master mind guiding the conspiracy. Her crime was indefensible. He asked for leniency only in view of the special circumstances of the case. Mr Justice Walton said ho did not wish to make any imputations against any particular individual in relation to the prisoner. He was satisfied she was tempted to commit perjury. He emphasised the very serious* mischief arising from the promotion , of companies fpr adopting and maintaining shadowy claims on property,, and the willingness of the public to w^j»TS|mbute money to such schemes. He '^lamented on the institution of criminal proceedings in support of the monstrous claim of Druce to the Portland estates. He added that prisoner, acting doubtless on pressure, yielded to temptation. Her age was the only mitigating circumstance weighing with him. Otherwise he would have imposed the maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment. He would sentence prisoner to four years' imprisonment. — — — —— I— — ■^mm ■— —