REVOLTING OFFENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18973, 26 March 1924, Page 5

REVOLTING OFFENCE

TORTURING DUMB ANIMALS. FOUR YEARS’ DETENTION. George William Wright, who was found guilty last Wednesday on two charges of maiming a mare at Taneaitua, came up for sentence at the Supremo Court at Gisborne on Saturday last. Mr. Justice McGregor stated that ho was satisfied that the prisoner had made a practice of this revolting class of offence. “You have been convicted of an offence of revolting cruelty to a mare,” said His Honor. “There is every reason to believe that you hav e made a practice of torturing and maiming animals. A number of mares have been found dead in the Whakatane and Optiki districts under mysterious circumstances, and it has since been established that you were in the locality when each death occurred You were not suspected at the time, and no examination was made until the present case, in which suspicion fell on you. I have no doubt but that you were responsible for the torture and death of these dumb animals. Since the trial the skeletons of nine mares have been found in a gully near where you lived.” Th e Prisoner: That is quite right. They were useless and were shot for dog’s meat. There is nothing in that. His Honor: I am quite satisfied that you have been guilty of this gross cruelty. It is difficult for anyone to understand the mentality of a man of your nature, but it is clear that you are of a perverted character, and it is necessary that ■ you should be detained in confinement for some time; I think that the best way of dealing with you is to give a long term of reformative detention, in which case the authorities can make inquiries into your state of mind and take steps to prevent your behaving in a similar manner in the future. You will be sentenced to four years’ detention, to commence at the expiration of the sentence of 18 months which you are now serving.