EIGHT YEARS’ GAOL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17169, 12 October 1923, Page 1

EIGHT YEARS’ GAOL.

EXEMPLARY SENTENCE ON FROGGATT. JUDGE TAKES SERIOUS VIEW OF OFFENCES. A sentence of eight years’ imprisonment was imposed by his Honor Mr Justice Sim this morning on Hector Froggatt, ex-scoutmaster, who had pleaded guilty to four charges of indecently assaulting boys. The sentence was that he be imprisoned for two years on each of the charges, the sentences to be cumulative.

.Mr Hunter, who appeared for Froggatt, said he was twenty-two years of age, and was the youngest child of a large family of respectable people. He joined the Hoy Scouts at the age of ten, and was always a very active and enthusiastic member of the organisation. At the age of seventeen he volunteered for active service, but it, was discovered that he was under age and he was rejected. He performed hospital service on a New Zealand hospital ship. He had been scoutmaster of six separate troops during five years. During the influenza epidemic he rendered voluntary service of an unusual nature, and was thanked by the Government. He had been a swimming instructor to one school and boxing instructor to another. By occupation he was a process block engraver, but lie gave this up to devote bis time to the Hoy Scout movement. He received a very small honorarium during the first- year and really spent more than lie got. .Tn the second year he was paid £l3O. As to the work he had done, Air Hunter directed his Honor’s attention to the evidence ,of Air Lancaster, who said he had been an enthusiastic and able officer. When these matters were discovered. said Air Hunter, there was a meeting of parents and it was tacitly decided that no action should bo taken, and that Froggatt should leave the country directly. This Hie did. It was true that he went under an assumed name. He had pleaded guilty to the charges largely with the desire that the boys should not he brought into Court and submitted to cross-examin-ation. He bad desired very strongly, also, not to bring any more scandal upon the Hoy Scout movement, and the other organisations with which he had’ been connected. There was no doubt that- Froggatt was the subject of a sexual abnormality. Offences such as this by a young man of high, altruistic outlook, could not l>e committed unless he was suffering from some abnormality.

Dr Bevan-Brown,’ who was called by Afr Hunter, said lie had seen Froggatt and had made inquiry into his case. After defining homosexuality, the witness said Froggatt’s offences were attributable to homo-sexuality, and the environment in which be bad lived for the past ten years. Under certain conditions the homo-sexual instinct might, develop. Tlie.se conditions were: 1 A certain type of mental constitution. He found that Froggatt conformed to this type of mental constitution. *2 - A weakness or absence of the moral sense. As far as witness had been able to discover, Froggatt’s moral sense was fairly well marked, but. against that, he found that- he had been brought up in astonishing ignorance of sexual matters. 3 Upbringing and environment. Prisoner bad been associated with the Roy Scout- movement and had worked with these boys for many years, j The influence of such an environment I was one to which the prisoner, by reason of his mental constitution, was susceptible. It was clear that he was not responsible for file existence in himself of this abnormal anrl unnatural de- j sire. It arose from causes outside him- ! self. But he must he responsible for i controlling that desire, lie was quite , satisfied that Froggatt was capable of j controlling himself. He did not regard j the case as on the same footing «s i cases of premeditated and unlicensed lust. He considered that if Froggatt were placed in a suitable environment, such as in the country away from all association with hoys, or the Boy Scout movement, and given hard physical work, he would be capable of becoming a normal and decent member of society,. Air Donnellv said the gravity of the charges lay in the fact that the accused was in a position of trust and ; betrayed it. His Honor said there wa s no doubt that offences of thic kind were rerr serious, and it was his plain dufcv to impose a substantial term of imprisonment. Prisoner would be sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on each ' barge, the sentences to be cumulative.