At HM. Supreme Court on Tues day, William Nathaniel Lester, indicted for wounding John Welsh with intent to do him grievous Bodily harm in the Wayport Rooms on June 22, was found guilty and sentenced by Judge Sit Skinner 'Turner to five years' imprisonment. commented palling levity with which people fuse firearms out heve" and the frequency with which such cases came Yefore him, Lester was described as having been engaged for several years a3 a structural engineer and subsequently: as being a broker. His story, said the Judge, was a typical and sad one of © man's downfall through drink, Counsel in the tasse were: Mrs Wilkinson (Crown Advocate) and Mr. E. T. Maitland for the prosecution; Mr. M. Reader Harris for the defence.
Lester pleaded not ity.
Wilkinson described the nature of the charge to the jury, and briefly outlined the affair. He explained that Lester went into the Wayport Rooms at about 4.15 p.m. on June 13, accused Welsh of steal ing certain' clothing, and then shot him from the hip, wounding: him in the groin, Counsel went on to say that a possible line of defence would be that Lester was drunk at] the time he rived the shot, did not now what he was doing, and could hot therefore be proved to have had any intent. Evidence would be Awought to show. however, that whilst he c rewinly had been ting he was not by means drunk and he had control over ice him, Lester then tried to get, him to stop at the house, and pulled out lot of dirty Tinen'for him to use fas bedding. His talk was wild and hho made several references to some female who had stolen his, clothes, and whom he intended to shoot. He also Said he intended to shoot some quan. Then he drank the three new hetties of wine, turned over on hia side and went to sleep, and witness seized the opportunity to get away.
The Judge—Was he drunk?—Yes
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.