"A COWARDLY ASSAULT."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 228, 26 September 1929, Page 23

"A COWARDLY ASSAULT."

LANDLORD SEVERELY INJURED FRACAS AT WHAKAROA. TWO YOUNG MEN FINED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) TE PUKE, Wednesday. At the Police Court, Te Puke, before Messrs. J. G.- Saunders and F. Bosstocks, J.P.'s, this morning, two young men, Thomas Dunster and Gordon McKenzie were charged with having assaulted at Whakaroa (Te Puke) on Sunday, September 22, F. S. K. Broad. Constables J. Jackson prosecuted and Mr. 11. 0. Cooney appeared for accused. Dr. A. A. MacFarlane gave evidence that ho had treated the informant, Broad, for his injuries. He discovered two deep scalp wounds and a broken rib. The latter wa3 consistent' with a kick or a blow from a bottle and was not caused by a fall. Tt might have teen caused by a blow from a fist or a fall against a bench. The scalp wounds would not have been caused by a fall. F. S. K. Broad, sen., stated in evidence that he had called on McKenzie, sen., who was occupying one of two houses at tne mill, with regard to his vacating the house, as witness wished to occupy it. They had a heated argument. Later, about 5.30 p.m., when witness and his son were at tea a knock came at the back door. He answered it and found the two accused standing there. McKenzie said; "What were you bouncing my old man for?" Dunster then struck witness, knocked liini to the floor and kicked him. McKenzie followed, and was in the act of catching hold of witness' leg, when his son rushed from the back room. McKenzie struck witness' son on the face and a fight ensued in the backyard. There was no reason why accused should strike him. Dunster was the catspaw of the others. To Mr. Cooney: It was after the assault that he told accused he would pull the roof off his house. It was not true he had called Dunster "names." F. S. K. Broad, jun., gave similar evidence. On hearing the scuffle he went into the backyard, where McKenzie struck him and Dunster threatened him with an axe handle. Thomas Dunster, aged 21, stated he was with McKenzie when McKenzie,, sen., told them Broad was going to throw their belongings out of the house. >They went to the latter to ask for "time," which was refused them. Broad shaped up to witness and witness hit. first, felling Broad. A scuffle resulted and Broad called to his son. "You fix that — and I'll fix this —." The evidence of Gordon S. McKenzie corroborated. The Bench, after a short retirement/ came to the conclusion that the accused had been guilty of a cowardly assault Accused were each fined £8;-with costs, in default, two months' imprisonment.