SUPREME COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9318, 19 August 1908, Page 4

SUPREME COURT.

♦ CRIMINAL SITTINGS. Tuesday, August 18. (Before his Honor Mr Justice Denniston.) The criminal session of the Supreme Court was resumed at 10 a.m. Mr 1. G. Russell, Acting-Crown Prosecutor, conducted the cases for the Grown. , ALLEGED PERJURY. Thomas Vickery was indicted for that on May 21 last, in the Magistrates Court at Oxford he committed perjury by stating that he had shot a certain, horse when such was not the case. Mr Johnston appeared for the accused, who pleaded not guilty. Mr Russell stated that when accused, in the Oxford Magistrate's Court, was charged with cruelty to a horse by leaving it neglected without food or water, he swore that he had destroyed the animal on a certain day by shooting it, and afterwards had cut its throat. . M. Leahy constable stationed at Oxford, stated that accused stated m the Magistrate's Court that he shot the horse on February 23, and produced a book containing an entry which supported this statement. Witness had examined the horse on the day or the trial of the case, and so far as he could ascertain there was no sign of shot marks. John M'Leod, veterinary surgeon, stated that he had examined the head of the horse and had found no evidence that the horse had been shot in the head. The remains of the horse's head was produced, and witness was cross-ex-amined at some length as to the direction that the shot would take. For the defence, the accused said that he first heard the horse had ai shortage of water on February 22. On February 23 he went into the paddock and killed the horse. He- shot the horse twice, and then cut his throat. To Mr Russell: He killed the horse because the water-race in the paddock had run dry, and because the horse was useless. Joseph Green, contractor, Sheffield, said that he saw accused on Sunday, February 23, with a rope in his hand. The rope and Vickery's hoots and clothes were blood-stained. To Mr Russell: Vickery told him on the Sunday that he had been killing the horse. Counsel addressed the jury, and his Honor summed up. The jury, after a retirement of twenty minutes, returned a verdict of not guilty, and the accused was discharged. ALLEGEfD PERJURY. John Page was charged with having committed perjury during the hearing of th© complaint of Margaret Lawrence, heard at the Magistrate's Court, " Christchurch, on May 19. The a<v cused, for whom Mr Leathern appeared, pleaded not guilty. Mr Russell said that the case arose out of statements made by the accused in giving evidence in an affiliation case brought by Margaret Lawrence. ' Constable Scully, orderly at the Magistrate's Court, stated that the accused swore that Margaret Lawrence was never inside his shop; that Mrs Holley never brought the girl out of his shop ; that ne never called for the girl at Mrs Holley's place, where she was at service ; that he never ' walked out with the girl at any time; that he was never in Mrs Holley's yard with the girl, and that Mrs Kennedy, who deposed to that fact, was telling an untruth; that he never called at Mrs Holley's place for any purpose; that Mrs Holley's evidence was entirely false, and that both Mrs Holley and Mrs Kennedy had told falsehoods in the case ; that the complainant Margaret Lawrence had never taken tea to him at his shop. Margaret Lawrence, domestic servant, gave similar evidence. She said that the acused was working in a bicycle shop at Leeston before the case. She went to the shop several times, and Mrs Holley on one occasion brought her out of the shop. Pag© was in tho shop at the time. He was always in the shop when she went there. H© walked out with her on several occasions. He was in Mrs Holley's backyard with her on several occasions, and Mrs Holley. saw him there. He called at Mrs Holley's house for her on one occasion, on a Sunday evening in Jannuary, 1907. She had taken tea over to Page's shop on several occasions. Page, in giving evidence, said she had never been in the shop. ! Margaret Holley, Leeston, and Sarah | Kennedy, Leeston, gave similar cvi- ; dence. ; The Court adjourned at 5.45 p.m. tiD 10 a.m. on the following day. . ===== |