MAN SENTENCED ON GRAVE CHARGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18055, 15 January 1927, Page 10

MAN SENTENCED ON GRAVE CHARGE.

STARTED EARLY IN CRIME, AND CARRYING ON. A man who was charged as Charles Boyle, but who was shown in the course of evidence to be Charles Richard Neve Coutts, was charged in the Children’s Court to-dav, before Air 11 A. Young, S.M., and Airs A. E. Herbert with having indecently exposed himself in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. ITe pleaded not guilty and was not represented by counsel. Evidence was given by a girl of fourteen and two adults —one, a woman to whom she had reported the offence, and the other the proprietor of the tea kiosk. Detective M’lntyre said that when arrested accused gave his name as Boyle, but witness had ascertained later that it was Coutts. After the detective had given his evidence accused asked why, at the identification parade of nine men, he -was the only man to have a white bandage on his right hand. Detective M’lntyre, to the Bench: When accused was arrested he had his right hand bandaged, and at the identification parade as many as possible were asked to tie white handkerchiefs around their right hand. The parade was supervised by the Chief-Detective and all the men w*ere about the same build. The girl had no hesitation in picking out the accused. Accused called his wife to give evidence and she said that she had seen a man in the town on the same day who was dressed exactly like her husband. They had been married seven months and she was living at Kaiapoi. Accused in evidence denied having exposed himself. “Why did you give the name Boyle?” asked Detective-Sergeant Young. “I have gone under that name since leaving the Dobson mine,” was the piyThe detective-sergeant then went through accused’s list of previous convictions, which showed that he had begun his career of crime in 1913, and had undergone several terms of imprisonment. His record showed that he ’had been convicted of assaulting females, theft on several occasions, breaking and entering, false pretences and obscene language. On each of those he had been charged and sentenced as Coutts. He was found guilty and ordered to be detained for a period not exceeding eighteen months.