BIGAMIST SENTENCED
TWELVE MONTHS’ IMPRISONMENT A sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 12 months’ reformative treatment, was imposed by His Honour Mr Justice Johnston on Walter Ernest Watson, alias Walter Ernest Willis, who appeared for sentence in the Supreme Court yesterday on a charge of bigamy. Prisoner was not represented by counsel.
When asked if he had anything to say why sentence should not be passed on him, prisoner handed a written statement to the Court.
His Honour said he had read the statement, and giving :t all consideration, he was bound considering the serious nature of the crime, to impose in the interests of the public, a substantial penalty. If prisoner’s character was as irreproachable as he made out in his statement, it was a pity he could not have called the people he had mentioned in his statement, to speak for him. The reports before the Court indicated that prisoner’s conduct towards women was not irreproachable. In the interests of the public, and to indicate the seriousness of the offence of bigamy, prisoner would be sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a period of 12 months’ reformative detention.
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Bibliographic details
Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19862, 27 July 1934, Page 6
Word Count
196BIGAMIST SENTENCED Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19862, 27 July 1934, Page 6
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