THE FERNHILL GIPSY CASE

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 166, 15 August 1929, Page 8

THE FERNHILL GIPSY CASE

1REXE PRYCE FOUXD GLTLTY. HElt "G1PSY" C'OMPAXIOX'S PREVIOUS RECORD. A considerable number of unusual elements developed in the second hcaring of what lias come to be known as "the Fernhill Gipsy case," in which Irene C'ampl>ell Prvce was c-harged with breaking and entering the Fernhill store, heforc His Honour Mr JusLice MacGregor in tlie X'apier Supreme - Court yesterdav afternoon, lier alleged cainpanion in tlie essay, Rohort Forhes 1 Raverty, having pleaded guilty to all I charges levelled against him. Tli» spoils of the breaking and; entering, a heterogeneous collection of tinned foods, cigarettes, tohacco, chocolates, male clotlung and t wo pairs of shoes, were prodnced as an exhibit in the case. JlrH. B. Lusk condur-ted the (ToWn prosecution and aecused. who pleaded mit. guilty, was represented hy Mr W. j Hislop. The follnwing jury was empanelled : — Mcssrs G. Thorue-George. Reuben Dowgill. Leslie Player, Ernest Prebble, (feorge Day Lydford. Charles McDougall, George j.dward Sniitli, Arthur William Madigan, ' Thomas Roland Burden, Pliilip Frank Webh Matthew Crawford, C'olin Jolm Stetvart. THE CROWX'S CASE. In opemng for the Crown, Mr Lusk stated tlult the case would be a short oue. It wae a-lwajis uupleasant to hear a case of this sort^ against a young girl, hut tlie jurvmen's duty tvas simple to decide whether tlie prisoner was guilty or not guilty and they could. if tliey fomid tlie accused guilty, safely leave the question of pcnalty to His Honour. The facts of tlie case were that oue night recently Gumbley's store at Fei'nliill \yas broken iuto and next day, acting on information. the police went to a dug-out at Fernhill and there fonnd the accused and a man nanied Raverty. wlio had since pleaded guiltv to all charges levelled against him, with tlie mnjority of the stolen property. The girl" was actually wearing some of tlie stolen property at the time, heing dressed in male attire. The pair rvere arrested and in a snhsequent siatement to the police tlie girl not only freely admitted being a partv to tlie breaking and entering, hut also went to some pains to give details as to their movements, both in and out of the shop. Evidenoe for the Crown was given hy Louis Gumhley, storekeeper. Constahle Allsop and Detective Farquliarson. CASE FOR, THE DEFEXCE. In opening for the defenee Mr Hislop stated that he iutended to eaU both the accused and Raverty. All tnat he could hope to prove to the jury was that the aecused had nothing wliatever to do witli the orime wherewith she lvas eharged and in fact that she did not accompany Raverty, whom she knew as Tom Dalv, on that occasion. In evidence the accused stated that f.er statement was untrue and she had merelv made it, in an endeavour to make her eompanion's sentence lighter. NYhen it was explained to her that she could liofc help him bv doing so she i deeided to tell tlie truth. Mr Lusk : And so vou staved behmd in the dug-out? — Yes. Did you and Tom go for a walk along tlie Taradale road? — Xo. Wlio told you that ?— He did. (Laughter). _ You iutended to wear men s olothes so that you conld be a companiou to Tom ? — Yes. When did Tom tell you all these details? — The same night. You were stifl awake? — Xaturally. MJiat- was the time? — I don't know. But you said in your statement tliat v'ou saw the time when you were in the shop? — Tommv told me that. But whv sliould he? — Y Tien he retnrned T asked him tlie time and he safd that he did not know rvhat it was then, hut that he saw the time when m the store. Further examined, witness stated that she had never heen to Fernhill in her life. Aecused Raverty. in evidence, stated that he was a hosiery meehanic hy trade and a native of Australia. He had heen in tlie Dominion seven months. He stated that the accused Prvce was not with him on the night ■ ti question. She remained at tlie dugout. Cnder oro.ss-examination witness stated that when he retumed to the dugout he told the accused all abqut breaking into the shop and told her to sav tliat she had walked along the Taradale road with him, in order tliat he would have an nlibi. His Honour: Had you had any experiences of this type in Australia."'- — Yes. Wh a'f , livihg in a dug-jiut- Avith a girl dressed as a man ? — Xo, but I got time for — Oh. what was tfiaf?— T got 18 months in a Rt.ate prison for shopbreaking. "And you tell me this story without a hlush, this pack of lies. Tliat s not the way to get a, liglit sentence, my hov," commented His Honour. HIS HDXOTJR'S REMARKS. Sunmiing up, His Honour remarked that this was a very unusual case— • uiifortunafcely so. The accused, aged IV, admitted that she had been hvmg ui a dug-out with a young Australian enminal nanied Tom Dalj* and there was 110 doubt tliat the two of thexn In-oke into the Fernhill store. His Ifonour commented that tlie girl s statement hore the stamp of correctness if only in its detail. Tn addition thev had ihe evidence given in the box for tlie defenee. Wasn't it perfeetly ohvious that tliey were telling a pack ot lies in an offort to gain tlie man a lighter penaltv and save the girl ? He would not insult the jury's intelligence hy carrving the matter furflier. After an ahsenee of 10 minutes the jury returned with a verdiet of guilty, with a strong recommendation to merry on account of her age. Tliey added a i ider to. the effect that they considered she liad heen strongly influeneed hy Raverty. Aecused was remanded in custody for sentence.