SUPREME COURT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 8

SUPREME COURT

— [ SENTENCES AT CHRISTCHURCH ( Per Press Association. ] CHRISTCHURCH, June 15. ’ Two voting men, M illiam John David- *■ son ;%id William Malcolm Leitch, were > sentenced by Justice Northcroft in the ’ Supreme Court this morning for break.ng into a shop and theft. Davidson . was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment and Leitch was placed on probation for two years. It was stated that Davidson had “ been released from a borstal only last December. A suggestion that prisoner suffered from a form of kleptomania was made ' bv the Judge when sentencing Harry Thomas Betts, aged 3S years, for housebreaking and theft (four charges), “ housebreaking with intent to commit, theft (four charges), and attempted v housebreaking with intent to commit theft (two charges). Betts was sentenced to three years’ hard labour. “Yours is a very difficult case ; ” said the Judge to Betts. “You are before me for sentence on ten separate charges and have admitted breaking into 24 J different houses. You have a long list. ' You have had reformative detention for three years and recently 15 months’ •' hard labour. You had only been re- t leased when you set out to commit this series of burglaries. They are not of I a dangerous character, but rather an aggravated form of sneak thieving. It seems to be a form of kleptomania, but as society is ordered at present there is treatment for this con dition. You cannot harry the community in this way. You will b? sentenced to three years’ hard labour.” Three youths iho had committed burglary, were each sentenced to three years’ detention in a borstal institute. They were Cecil Medley Gilchrist, Win- < stori Mearil Yeatman, and Leslie Wil- , Ham Rasmussen. j . .