Wanganui District Congratulated On Absence Of Serious Crime

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 November 1948, Page 4

Wanganui District Congratulated On Absence Of Serious Crime

The Wanganui judicial district was congratulated by Air. Justice Christie, in the Supreme Court yesterday on the absence of serious crime during the past three months. ’‘Before submitting for your consideration the bills of indictments, 1 wish to congratulate you, as representatives of your judicial district, on the lightness of the calendar, and as a deduction from the lightness of the calendar, the manifest respect for law and order exhibited for the last three months by the residents of your community,” "said His Honour, addressing lhe Grand Jury at the opening of the quarterly sessions in Wanganui. ‘‘Only three bills are to be submitted to you today and none of them, I am glad to say, relate to the graver types of crime. AJI crime is grave, but there are no cases involving violence, loss of life or brutality.” His Honour added that there were two cases of alleged indecent assault on small girls and one case of alleged theft from a drunken man. “These cases are, of course, grave, but speaking generally the calendar is light and the offences are not of the gravest kind,” said His Honour. “You as the Grand Jury, are not concerned with the question of the guilt or innocence of any person coming for trial. Your duty is to determine whether or not the prosecution has made out a case for the accused to answer. You hear evidence against an accused, but not of the defence.”

Every person who appeared before the Supreme Court had already had a preliminary hearing in the Lower Coure before a magistrate or justices of the peace, who had come to the conclusion that it was a proper case for the accused to be put on trial. “What you are asked to do,” said His Honour, ‘‘is to confirm that decision, or, if you think proper, to depart from it.”

The cases at present before the Court were brief and the Grand Jury would have no difficulty in coming to its conclusions.

The Grand Jury consisted of Messrs D. G. O’Toole (foreman), L. J. E. Shortt, W. J. Thomas, L. Fitzsimmons, B. H. Stewart, T. W. Couper, C. Crowley, S. G. Dinniss, W. C. Curtis, A. V. Thomas, W. H. Christie, A. Robson, W J Carr, F Pepper, F. J. Blake, A. D. Tilley, l\. G. Toop, B. W. Burnett, M. Hirst, E. C. Gee, A. M. Caird, G. V. Hammond and H. A. Dickie.

True bills were returned in each of the following cases: Alfred Earle Carter, alleged indecent assault on a female

Leo James Gray Dawson, alleged theft.

John Alexander Staples, alleged indecent assault on a female (four charges).