The National Advocate, Wed 5 Feb 1919 1
ILL-TIMED HILARITY
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INCIDENT AT QUARTER SESSIONS
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When a case against the Hindoo hawker, Skeika Hooka, for indecent assault on a girl of nine years, was called at the Bathurst Quarter Sessions yesterday, Judge Armstrong made some pointed remarks to the large number of spectators who practically filled the portion of the court allotted to the jurors in waiting and the gallery. He said: “This is a case of indecent assault on a girl under 16 years of age. I notice the [illegible text here] number of women and young men in court, and I consider that no self respecting young women would remain in court during the hearing of the case. Young men should not be allowed to remain if their relatives are present. Self-respecting young men would not remain—that is, young fellows under 20 years of age.”
Immediately women and a few of the young men left, but the great majority of the later remained to hear the sordid story.
During the hearing, the Court was twice interrupted by outbursts of untimely laughter by several youths, whose perverted sense of humor [sic] caused the judge to severely remark: “Please behave with propriety. If I hear any more of this laughter I shall have the Court cleared.”
The offenders took no more risks.
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GENERAL NEWS
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QUARTER SESSIONS.—The Bathurst Quarter Sessions opened yesterday and was presided over by His Honor Judge Armstrong, the Crown Prosecutor was Mr TS Crawford; the Deputy Clerk of the Peace, Mr JD Walker, CM, and the Deputy sheriff, Mr WH Crago.
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YOUNG MAN'S CRIME.—Sidney Deane, a youth with a slight impediment in his speech and not, apparently, of a very high intellectual standard, appeared before His Honor, Judge Armstrong at the Bathurst Quarter Sessions yesterday, charged bestiality [with a mare] at Beramble on December 12. When asked how he pleaded, he replied “Guilty. I can’t do anything else.”
He was remanded for sentence.
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The National Advocate, Mon 10 Feb 1919 2
NO WHIPPING
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SYDNEY DEAN [sic–Sidney Deane] TO ESCAPE.
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Sydney, Sunday.
One of the first sentences imposed by the newly-appointed District Court Judge, Judge Armstrong, has been remitted by the Cabinet. Last week his Honor had before him for sentence a boy who had been found guilty of committing an unnatural offence at Condobolin and sentenced him to a week’s imprisonment and a whipping of five strokes. The portion of the sentence providing for the whipping has now been remitted.
Cabinet was induced to take this step because of the fact that the practice of flogging prisoners has practically been abolished in this State for seven years. Another difficulty which may have developed had not the sentence been remitted was that there is no public flagellator in New South Wales. Humanitarian gaol legislation abolished the offence, and, unless his Honor executed his own order, it is probable that no one could have been found to administer the whipping which he felt the boy deserved.
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Northern Star, Mon 10 Feb 1919 3
APPLICATION OF THE LASH.
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SYDNEY, Friday.—Sidney Deane, 17, was sentenced by Judge Armstrong at Bathurst Quarter Sessions to imprisonment for one week in addition to ten strokes with the lash for an unnatural offence. Later the prisoner was brought before the court, when his Honor reduced the number of strokes to five. He remarked that he believed in this sort of crime physical chastisement was much better deterrent than imprisonment.
1 The National Advocate, Wed 5 Feb 1919, pp. 1, 2. Emphasis added.
2 The National Advocate, Mon 10 Feb 1919, p. 3.
3 Northern Star (Lismore, NSW), Mon 10 Feb 1919, p. 2.