LOSS OF AN EYE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 46, 9 February 1943, Page 5

LOSS OF AN EYE

BRAWL AT WAIOHOU

SEQUEL IN COURT

How a young Maori &n itnval-, adity pensioner, struck his father-in-law in the course of a brawl and blindted' him in one eye, was told in the Whakatane Police Court yesterday before Messrs G. Brabant and J. King J.P.'s, when Jack Atuite Ranui (Mr Otley) was charged' wi'th asw saulting with intent to> do bodily harm. Sergeant Farre.ll said that, the case was brought as a result of a fracas which had developed,, near accuseds home when his father-in-law, Joe Ngahora, attempted to intervene in what was in the first place a quarrel between husband and wife.

Joe Ngahora described how he had intervened when lie heard Ranui accusing his wife of going out with another man. It. was; only jealousy, he said, and he had attempted to remonstrate with accused by following across the fields. Ranui had kicked him in the 1 eye while! he was getting through a fence. Doctor's Evidence Dr. Dawson in evidence said that on January 8 last Joe Ngahora was admitted to. hospital suffering from injuries >to the left eye. On examination it was seen that, both ey-er-lids were greatly swollen, and there

was every chance of the present condition remaining permanently. The eye was; sightless and would remain so. The injury might have been caused, by a finger or a knuckle according as to how the hand was held. Mr Otley claimed that there was noit. sufficient evidence' before the Court to warrant accused being icommitted for trial. There was. no prima face case against him. He therefore' suggested that to save the country the expense of moving witnesses to Auckland, that ihe accuscd give evidence here and allow it to be left to the Court,, as; to whether he he committed or not. Accused's Story Ranui in evidence said he was; an invalidity pensioner residing at Waiohou He had on the fourth of January gone ilown to' meet ithe store? van. Whilst, there he was .called into Nika Rikarika's house and informed that his wife had been going out with another man. He had proceeded home where he asked his wife if the allegations were true. His wife countered by asking who had told him and accused him of being jealous. He had then said he would, itake the matter t.o go the Maori Council. His .father-in-law interjected and demanded to know what the. trouble was. He had then explained the position but he too, hadj accused him of being jealous and listening to idle gossip. Neither would agree to 'taking the matter before the council saying that it could not be proved. He then left the house with his eldest son but his wife appealed to him to return and his father-in-law threatened to get the police on him. His father-in-law followed him through the fence and grabbed him by the l shirt, tearing it off his back. He had swung round and hit the older man in the eye with his list. A struggle had, ensued his wife at length separating them. He had then left taking the boy with him. He denied most emphatically ever kicking his father-in-law in the eye. Information Dismissed Mr Otley then contended that there was a complete lack of evidence as to how .the eye injury was caused. The bench said that the scuffle was obviously the outcome of family trouble and as usual the third party had come off worse for interfering. They considered the 1 case hardly strong enough >to go forward to the Grand, Jury and would therefore dismiss the. information.