1846 - Deportation and Imprisonment

[GlenB]

In 1845 a relative (aged 15) in my wife's family was found guilty of disposing of library books which didn't belong to him. He was sentenced to 7 years deportation later commuted to imprisonment.
I can find no trace of him after 1846 in England but at Kojonop in Western Australia the 1901 voters lists show a person of similar name and age originating from the same area of England. I have a hunch that they are one and the same. Around 1846 English troops (51st Regiment) were apparently setting up a base in that town.

. Was there such a thing as parole in those days? If he had served a full sentence i would have expected to see him somewhere on the 1851 census.
Was it possible for him to have enlisted in the army as an alternative to serving his sentence?

Any comments would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[dot.hawkes]

Have you not found him on any of the other census returns? Have you found this in Quarter Session records? If his sentence was changed to imprisonment rather than deportation, his chance of starting a life in Australia would have been slim, the Army would have been one way.
If he was deported, he would have probably joined the Australian Army, whose records of pensions are quite well recorded.
Is there a possibility that he died soon after the sentencing? Do you know if he ever married and had children?

[GlenB]

Thanks Dot Hawkes for your comments which I will bear in mind.
After 1846 there is no trace in any of the Census returns nor have I found a death in this country.. The person in Australia used as a middle name, the (fairly uncommon) maiden name of the mother in England and this was also passed to a son. It is this that makes me think they are one and the same.